Unreal Truths
by ChupaQueso
Summary: Only one Yami really left after the final duel between Yugi and Atem. Back from the shadows for round two, Bakura and Mariku come with a new plan for world domination. Only problem is that they need the cooperation of their Hikari's. More Inside.
1. Aftermath

Summary: Only one Yami really left after the final duel between Yugi and Atem. Back from the shadows for round two, Bakura and Mariku come with a new plan for world domination. Only problem is that they need the cooperation of their Hikari's. Now Marik and Ryou must face their pasts once again, along with the possibility of a new future.

Pairings: Deathshipping , Citron/Thiefshipping and Prideshipping. Minor hints at Stepshipping and Pyschoshipping and possibly others.

Author's Note: After getting back into Yu-Gi-Oh for the second time in my life I decided to try my hand at fanfiction after a certain friend got me into some new shippings. We challenged each other to write a deathshipping fic as close to canon as possible. We are now attempting this impossible challenge with our pens held high! To check out my fellow author's similar fic please look up Domino Effect by orchid-unscripted. Seriously! Do it! Support her amazing Deathshipping fic!

Also, Please no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome but not a requirement. If you read the story and enjoy it, drop a note. I will be pleased to hear from fans. That is all from this ranting author. Do enjoy.

PS: Mariku is Yami Marik and Marik is the Hikari to prevent confusion.

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 1: Aftermath**

**Ryou's POV**

Everyone was in mourning for what seemed to be forever once the Pharaoh moved on to the spirit world. Well everyone except me.

Now don't get me wrong, I thought the Pharaoh was a good person and an even better friend, well unless you were one of the bad guys.

Unfortunately, thanks to my own personal Yami, the blasted tomb robber who went by the name Bakura as well, I was thrown into the villain category.

No matter how hard I tried to distinguish myself from him, Yugi and his friends always considered me and the thief as one. Well everyone except _him_ that is.

Snapping out of my internal thoughts I look over to Marik Ishtar. The former tomb keeper was lying on my couch, shirtless and drooling all over my cushions. I shake my head and think about the situations that landed us here, in my new apartment, living as roommates.

I never planned on moving away from Domino, it just sort of happened. Of course I was still within a thirty minute drive of downtown, but I didn't go there often anymore.

It all started with a slow progressive drift away from my friends, if I can even call them that anymore.

At first I didn't even notice what was happening, I just thought we were all tense about the Pharaoh's abrupt departure. I guess I was wrong.

It first started with Joey and Tristan. I would join them, Yugi and Tea for lunch and right away the tension levels seemed to go through the roof. I tried to ignore it and join in their conversations, but as soon as the words were out of my mouth everyone just looked at me awkwardly. Joey would look at me as if any moment I would start screaming and ranting about the millennium items and Tristan would mutter things under his breath. After awhile I just stopped talking.

It didn't end with Joey and Tristan. I knew I was in trouble when even Tea began to give me less and less positive attention. She used to greet me each time she saw me with a wide smile and a wave. Now I am lucky if I get a nod. Yugi must have begun to notice his friends mistrusting glances and the awkward silences that ensued because he was always trying to drag me into different discussions. I appreciated his efforts but I knew it was useless. Finally I just took the hints and I began to sit elsewhere.

Yugi must have hated to see me sitting all by myself because every day for a week or so, he would come over and try to get me to rejoin them. I continued to turn him down until finally even he gave up.

Every so often I would look over and observe them laughing and joking around, it was never like that when I was with them. One time Joey caught me looking and narrowed his eyes at me. All I could do was frown and turn away, wondering what I did to deserve this sort of treatment. I knew the answer as soon as I thought of it, 'nothing, I have done nothing to deserve their scorn, but Bakura did so they continue to dish it out as if hurting me will make everything right again'.

I was snapped back to reality as I heard a noise from the couch. Marik was rolling over and stretching, giving me a full view of the expanse of scars along his back. I found myself frowning. I didn't like Marik like that, but I cared for him like he was my brother and I couldn't help but feel angry every time I saw the damage his father had inflicted upon him all those years ago. I knew it wasn't Atem's fault, and that he had not asked for Marik to suffer such a fate but he didn't show any sympathy or gratitude towards him either.

Marik noticed me looking at him and gave me a questioning look, "Is something wrong Ryou?"

I smiled despite myself. I only had to ask Marik to not call me Bakura once and he took it to heart. Yugi-tachi never granted me that request, never understanding the pain it caused me to hear the thief's name.

"Yeah, I am okay Marik, just thinking is all." I leaned back into the chair I was sitting in and cracked my neck.

Marik slowly sat up and rolled his shoulders, "Seriously Ryou, they aren't worth your time."

I shook my head; Marik was so intuitive, always able to read me like an open book, it was very disconcerting but relieving at times, "I know. My mind just wanders a lot."

Marik nodded at my reply and stood, heading into the kitchen to make some tea. Ever since he had moved in with me, he had become as much as a tea addict as I was.

Watching Marik boil the water shifted my thoughts back to the past.

I had been trying to put together a shelving unit I had just bought from the store when I heard a knock on the door. I don't know who I had been expecting but it certainly had not been Marik.

I remember staring at him blankly, not knowing what to do. I didn't remember a whole lot of Marik except for the few instances of him helping me during Battle City, even though I later found out that he had been teaming up with Bakura the whole time.

I almost considered turning him away but found that I couldn't. I was doing exactly what Yugi and his friends were doing to me; expecting him to cackle darkly and start screaming crazily about taking over the world and killing the Pharaoh. After shaking such thoughts from my head I held the door open wide and invited him in. It was then that I heard his story and learned that we really weren't all that different.

**Marik's POV**

I set about to make some tea for Ryou and I. Frowning to myself I thought about the distant look in his eyes I saw whenever he thought about his former friends.

It made me upset to know that they were affecting him so much. It wasn't fair to him that because the spirit of the millennium ring was a raging psychopath Ryou was treated like dirt.

I chewed on my lip thoughtfully as I reached for the tea bags. I hadn't thought of Bakura in a long time. I hated the thief with everything in me, but not for the same reasons Ryou had.

Bakura and I were a team, and a good one at that. If not for our pathetic bickering we may have actually gotten somewhere with our plans. I admit I even started caring for the damn tomb robber. That is until he up and left to fight the pharaoh and perished doing so.

I had to shake my head to stop the tears from forming. Damnit, I thought I had cured myself of these blasted feelings. He's gone and there is nothing I can do about it.

I walked over to the sink and splashed water on my face, my mind switching gears to the day I came back and met up with Ryou.

_I remember looking at Ryou Bakura in anticipation. I really had no idea how he would react to my presence here in Japan. I had been surprised when the door didn't immediately slam in my face the moment he saw who was knocking. At first he just stood there and stared at me for a long moment. I shuffled my feet nervously before looking down at the ground. After all I had put him through, I probably should have thought twice about coming here._

_Finally after what seemed to be an eternity Ryou stepped back and a new light seemed to come into his eyes. I didn't feel so nervous anymore when he gave me a warm smile and beckoned me inside._

_"Would you like some tea?" Ryou looked at me with kind eyes and an expectant smile._

_I found with him looking at me like that I couldn't say no, "I would love some, thank you."_

_He gave me a satisfactory look that told me he would not have taken no as an answer._

_"I don't want to be rude Marik, but why are you here?" Ryou turned and looked at me while he filled the tea kettle up with water._

_I took a deep breath, "Well it's a long story if you're ready to hear it."_

_Ryou walked in and joined me in the family room and sat on the couch next to me, "I am all ears."_

_"I suppose I should start with why I moved here." I shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch. "Everyone has been acting so strange lately. At first I thought Odion and Ishizu were tense because of all that had happened to us over these past few months, and I suppose over our entire lives. I figured it was just left over tension from finally being relieved of our duties as tomb keepers."_

_"After awhile though, it began to seem out of place. Odion never left me by myself and Ishizu was always watching me when she thought I wasn't looking. I found that they would never leave me alone and were constantly asking me if I was okay. I realized that they still thought that my dark side would come back and that they constantly hovered around just in case he did." I sighed heavily and ran my fingers through my hair. Ryou gave me an encouraging look accompanied by a smile and I continued on._

_"Finally I just couldn't take it anymore. Each night I slowly started to pack my things into suitcases so that when I was ready I could take off without causing too much of a scene."_

_"I really had no idea where I was going to go. I figured I would come here but that is where my plan ended. I didn't want to bother Yugi and I really didn't need the other's judgment." I stopped my fidgeting and looked to Ryou. "I figured I would see if you would let me crash with you and if not, well, I was going to go to a hotel for a few days until my money ran out."_

_Ryou was staring at me with a funny look on his face, "And when your money was all gone?"_

_I shrugged and played with one of the golden rings on my fingers, "I didn't really think that far ahead. I guess if I was desperate enough I could have went to Yugi. I know he's too..." I almost said 'too nice to turn me away' but I didn't want to offend Ryou. Luckily he said it for me._

_"Yugi is too nice for his own good. He would probably house Bakura if the situation ever arose."_

_I chuckled softly, I couldn't help it, he was right. Yugi was too nice for his own good._

_"I just hate to bother him". I sat forward on the couch and looked at Ryou, "I know you're expecting this but I have to ask. Can I crash here for awhile? I can pay you rent." I noticed my mistake as soon as it came out of my mouth but I couldn't take it back._

_At the word 'rent' Ryou stiffened visibly. The tension in the room skyrocketed and I felt like a complete ass for the first time since Battle City._

_"Bakura I…I'm sorry", I tried to stammer something out but he stopped me by putting his hand up and looking at me with this eerie look on his face._

_"No, it's fine. Just…stop."_

_I shut my mouth and looked away. Way to be a huge Jerk Marik._

_Ryou took in a deep breath and squared his shoulders, "I'm sorry Marik but you cannot stay here with me."_

_I felt my heart sink immediately. I didn't know what I expected Ryou to say but it wasn't no. I must have really blown it with the rent comment. I was just about ready to get up and leave when he began talking again._

_"You can't stay here, because I am moving." He looked at me with a shimmering light in his eyes," Though, you can come with me to my new apartment and we can split the…you know."_

_I looked at Ryou, my jaw must have dropped to the floor in disbelief because when he saw my face he laughed out loud._

_"You really mean it?" He nodded and relief flooded through me._

_Ryou smiled and stood, "I have been preparing to move for the past few weeks. Looks like you arrived just in time to give me some help."_

_I nodded eagerly, "Oh of course!"_

_Ryou walked over to the kitchen and began to pour our tea, "I already have a decent sized place picked out and it's not far from here, about thirty miles. There are three bedrooms so it's more than enough room for the both of us."_

_I gave him another nod of my head, "Yeah I didn't really bring anything. I have my boat at the docks and my bike outside." I jerked my head towards my backpack sitting by the door, "That bag is all I really need. I have some more stuff in the ship if I need it though."_

_Ryou nodded and looked around, "Good because I have a lot of stuff to bring. I really need to buy a car, I didn't think about how I was going to move all this stuff until now. I suppose I will have to rent a U-Haul."_

_While Ryou was trying to figure things out, I looked around the apartment for the first time._

_It looked like any typical apartment, and by that I mean that anyone could live here. It was surprisingly plain, but various boxes were piled about the room ready to be moved to their new destination._

_I looked back to Ryou, who was now on the phone with U-Haul to arrange for a truck. Taking another sip of my tea I sighed. Here was to my new life, whether I was ready for it or not._

I was snapped from the flashback as the tea kettle started to whistle. I walked over and poured two cups and slipped the tea bag into the steaming water, carrying them into the living room for Ryou and I.

He was still sitting on the couch with a distant look in his eyes. I scowled and set the tea down, "Hey! What did I tell you about letting them bother you."

He shook his head and laughed, brown eyes sparkling, "And I should say the same thing to you about Bakura."

I flinched slightly at his name but smiled. Ryou always told me I was intuitive, but I think he could read me just as easily as I read him if not more. I told Ryou about the feelings I had for Bakura not long after I moved in with him. I didn't think it was fair to conceal something like that from him since he had been so open to me.

"Sometimes the mind wanders." I grinned and playfully shoved him as I sat down, using the same line on him that he used on me earlier.

Ryou laughed and gently picked up his cup of tea, "Yeah well we really need to stop that bad habit."

"No kidding." I shook my head and took a small sip of tea and yelped as it scalded my mouth, "Damn that's hot!"

Ryou snorted and rolled his eyes, "You think a guy would learn after the last fifty times."

I gave him a playful glare and grinned, "Sometimes the mind wanders."

Ryou fixed me with a look and laughed, "And it took the rest of your brain with it."

Biting back any retort I had, I rolled my eyes and smiled, leaning back into the couch. Things seemed to be finally looking up for once. Of course, how does that saying go again? Things are never as they appear to be.


	2. Unexpected

Author's Note: I neglected to set a time frame the last chapter and I apologize for any confusion. The last chapter takes place approx. 1 year after the final duel. The flashbacks take place directly after the duel. This chapter takes place approx. 1 year after the last one did. Thank you for your patience and enjoy!

**Unreal Truths: Unexpected  
**

**Ryou's POV**

"Shit." I cursed lightly to myself as several eggshells fell into the bowl with my cake mix. Squinting my eyes, I carefully began to pluck the little white flecks out of the batter. This was easier said than done since the shell pieces blended almost seamlessly with the flour in the mix.

"Having issues?"

After about jumping out of my skin, I turned with a glare to see Marik leaning up against the kitchen door frame chuckling lightly.

I grumbled and turned back to my task of plucking eggshells out of my cake, "Real funny Marik."

I heard him move from his spot in the doorway and come up behind me, "What are you doing anyways?"

I smiled in triumph as I nabbed the last egg shard, "I am baking a cake." I turned and shooed him out of the way so I could get to the sugar.

He made a face and moved out of my way, "Why, pray tell, are you making a cake?"

I shrugged and got up on my tip-toes so I could reach the very top shelf, "I was bored."

Marik gave me a disbelieving look, "You bake when you're bored? Who are you, Martha fucking Stewart?"

I gave him a glare and returned to my batter and measured out the right amount of sugar, "Maybe I was hungry."

"For cake?" Marik leaned against the fridge and I gave an exasperated sigh.

"Do you have something against cake Marik?" I put my hands on my hips and faced him, realizing too late that I had gotten flour and cake batter all over my pants in the process.

He put his hands up defensively and shook his head no, "No no, I just…find it odd that when you are bored you bake cakes."

I shook my head and turned back to my cake-in-progress, "Well what do you do when you're bored?"

Marik actually paused for awhile before answering me, "Well…I draw."

I stopped working and gave Marik a long look, "I didn't know you were an artist."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that." He shuffled his feet and played with his one ring, which I noticed, was one of his nervous habits.

"How come I have never seen you do it?" I watched Marik carefully, judging his reaction. I was always careful when going into unknown territory with him. One time I pushed the subject of what he did when he was little and the result was him going absolutely blank. It took me several moments before I could snap him out of it. I learned my lesson that day. You just didn't push Marik.

Marik shrugged and met my gaze, "I just…never really showed anyone my art. I was too embarrassed."

"Well I am a bit of an artist myself." At Marik's incredulous look I nodded and went back to mixing my cake batter. "I mean it. I don't draw though. I do carvings."

Marik moved to my side and hopped up on the counter beside the sink, "I've never seen you carve anything."

I chuckled lightly, "Well I don't show off my work to just anyone."

Marik squirmed a bit, "How about…you show me your carvings and I will show you my drawings."

I finished mixing the batter and poured it into a cake pan, "I can do that." I slid the pan in the oven and turned up the heat. "Come on, I'll show you now."

Marik slid off the counter and followed me out into the hallway. I gestured for him to come and I lead him to the third bedroom. I always kept the door shut and locked. Ever since the whole Monster World incident with Yugi-tachi I had stopped making figurines. That didn't mean I was so willing to give up my entire collection, it just meant that I wanted a break for a little while. So, when I moved here, I declared the third bedroom off limits and put all of my figurines and the game table inside.

I slowly opened the door and flicked the light on, ushering Marik inside.

I heard him gasp lightly as he looked around at all the shelves housing hundreds of mini figurines. "Ryou…these are amazing! Did you do this all by yourself?"

I felt my cheeks color with a blush and I nodded, "Yeah, every one of them." I walked over to the nearest case and rested my palm against the glass and closed my eyes letting out a sigh.

**Marik's POV**

I watched as Ryou heaved a heavy sigh and I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. Maybe this wasn't the greatest of ideas after all.

"They are truly amazing Ryou. There is such attention to detail!" I picked up a small figurine that looked remarkably like Ryou himself, "Is this you?"

He turned and looked to see what I was holding. Suddenly he stiffened and I saw his eyes widen slightly.

"Oh…uh…yes." He swallowed hard and turned away again. I did an internal face palm. Way to go Marik.

I decided to try again, "Well really, this is amazing Ryou. I never knew you did stuff like this."

He nodded and turned to look at me, "I haven't made any new ones in years." He picked up another figurine, this one looked like Yugi, "Bakura sort of ruined the whole experience for me." He sighed and set the figure back down, "I know I promised to show you all this, but…" He trailed off and fixed his eyes on a spot on the floor.

"We can go." I smiled at him and walked to the door, "Besides, I have to show you my drawings anyways."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Ryou's face and he looked up at me and nodded, "Alright then." He set the figurine down and walked past me out of the room, "I will leave the door unlocked so that you can go in any time you want."

"Thank you Ryou." I closed the door behind me as we left. Ryou stopped and allowed me past so I could lead him to my bedroom.

He sat down on the bed and I opened up my closet and brought out a decent sized box. I set it down on the bed and pulled out several sketchbooks, making sure to leave a certain blue and white colored one inside.

I set them down beside Ryou and watched as he picked one up and began to skim through it.

**Ryou's POV**

I picked up one of Marik's sketchbooks and began to thumb through it. I was instantly amazed at his ability to draw and shade. His sketches varied from pictures of his motorbike to full on portraits of Ishizu and Odion. "Have your siblings seen these pictures?"

Marik shook his head no and fidgeted with his ring again, "Oh I could never show them."

"Why not? Marik these are absolutely amazing!" I continued to thumb through each book until I was finished. "I would kill to be able to draw like this!"

A bright flush appeared on Marik's cheeks and he looked at me, "Oh I'm not _that_ good Ryou."

"Yes you are!" I shook one of his sketchbooks for emphasis. "Really Marik, you could make some serious money on these things!"

He laughed and stacked the books carefully back into the box where they had been stored, "I don't think so. It's just a hobby to keep my mind occupied." He gently put the box back into the closet and sat on the bed beside me. "What about you though? You really have an amazing skill set yourself!"

I shook my head, feeling my own cheeks flush, "Thanks Marik but really, I don't do carvings anymore. It's a part of my past now." I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and looked at him.

Marik pushed himself off the bed and stretched, "Well I can respect that." He smiled and began walking out of the room, "Now what kind of cake are you making again? I am starting to get hungry!"

I smiled and shook my head, following him out of the room, "Chocolate of course, and I will be damned if you eat it all Marik!" He laughed and walked briskly into the kitchen and I raced after him, chuckling softly myself.

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

Stepping back carefully I looked up to admire my work. In the middle of the game shop I had constructed a tower of game boxes in an elaborate design. I smirked, picked up the step ladder and headed to the supply closet to put it away.

"Ey Yug! There you are!" I turned around to see Joey come running over, having no regard for anything in his way. I held my breath as he barreled past my tower of games and let it out only when he came to a stop in front of me.

He suddenly nabbed me in a headlock and ruffled up my hair, "Hey Yug, we've been lookin' for ya all day!"

I squirmed out of his tight grasp and rubbed the back of my neck, "Its only noon Joey."

Joey seemed to pause for a moment, and then shrugged, "Okay well I was bored and it _felt_ like we were looking for you all day."

I looked around, but there was no one in the game shop aside from me and him, "And who is we?"

He seemed to have just realized he was by himself and he looked around, "Oh well the others walked to the arcade and I decided I would come here and see if ya wanted to come join us."

I had to laugh to myself; Joey was definitely one of a kind. "Actually Joey I was going to go see how Bakura is doing. I haven't seen him since we graduated and I wanted to see what he has been up to."

Joey made a face then and his posture stiffened, "What do you want to go see him for?"

I made an exasperated sound and put up my hands, "Joey I told you guys a million times already. Bakura had a spirit inside him too remember? It wasn't him doing all those things."

Joey still seemed unconvinced, "Yeah? Well why did he stop hanging out with us?"

I gave him a fierce look, "Oh I don't know. Maybe it was because you convinced everyone he was a bad guy and so you guys started to treat him like dirt."

"Yeah well maybe if he woulda done something to defend himself he wouldn't have looked like the bad guy. Seriously Yug, let the kid go. He doesn't want anything to do with us anymore! He even moved remember!"

I held my tongue and sighed heavily. I did indeed remember Bakura moving. I felt extremely bad about what had happened to our friendship with him. It wasn't fair that everyone was treating him like dirt because his darker half had done terrible things.

"Marik's dark half did bad things too, and yet you guys still were nice to him. I don't understand it."

Joey gave me a look, "Oh come on Yug, we don't even talk to Marik anymore! Isn't he back in Egypt anyways?

I was beginning to get very frustrated by this conversation, "Yes Joey, as far as I know, Marik is still in Egypt."

"Well then we don't have anything to worry about with him then do we?" Joey had a triumphant smirk on his face and I admit I was getting a little angry at my best friends reasoning.

"Listen, Joey, I am thankful for the invitation, but I am going to go to Bakura's new place and see how he is doing." I crossed my arms and gave him a look that said my statement was non-negotiable.

Joey finally relented and gave me a shrug, "Alright man, but if he tries to strangle you, don't say I didn't warn ya!"

With those encouraging final words, Joey walked out the front door of the game shop and headed down the street towards the arcade.

Sighing, I picked up my step stool from earlier and carried it to the storage room.

* * *

I looked up at Ryou's new address. This one was more like a house than his other place, and I internally wondered whether he was now a homeowner instead of just a tenant.

I nervously shuffled my feet and decided it was either now or never. Taking in a deep breath and squaring my shoulders, I confidently strode up to the front door and knocked firmly.

After a few moments of no answer I figured that Ryou was either not home or didn't want to see me. I had just started to turn when I heard the lock click. Turning back around I watched as the door opened slowly and I was completely shocked to see Marik standing there instead of Ryou. I had to blink several times to make sure I hadn't been hallucinating, but there he stood wearing sweatpants and a ragged T-shirt.

"M…Marik?" I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. I hadn't seen the Egyptian teen since the ceremonial battle between myself and Atem.

He regarded me with careful amethyst eyes that seemed neither friendly nor unfriendly, just ambivalent

"What are you doing here?" This time I could hear a clear cold malice in his voice, and suddenly he looked like the angry kid from Battle City. I subconsciously took a step back and swallowed hard.

"I…uh…came to see Bakura." I watched his face, but the cold expression stayed firm.

"Maybe _Ryou _doesn't want to see you." His eyes narrowed and he began to close the door.

"Wait!" I whipped my hand out and pushed it lightly against the door to keep him from shutting it. I also slipped my foot in the crack as an extra precaution.

Marik looked at me then at my foot as if he was considering seeing if he could slam the door hard enough to break it off. I didn't know where this intense animosity had come from but I had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with Ryou.

"Please Marik, can I just…talk to him? Please?"

He lifted his head and once again regarded me with a cold expression, "Go home Yugi. We're doing just fine without you."

I couldn't help but feel a little hurt by the statement, but I didn't let it deter me, "Marik, please just let me in. I am not here to cause any trouble."

"And yet trouble seems to follow you like a dark cloud." Marik scowled and decided to test the structural integrity of my foot.

"Ow shit! Marik please! I just came to apologize to Ryou!"

"I'll give him your regards then, now go!"

He pushed the door harder against my foot and I hissed in pain, "Come on Marik! This isn't solving anything!"

He grumbled, "I know, so just-"

"It's okay Marik." I looked up in shock upon hearing Ryou's soft voice. He was standing in the doorway behind Marik.

"You can let him in." Ryou regarded me with curiosity and a little bit of sadness in his eyes.

Marik gave me one final glare before releasing my now throbbing foot.

I resisted the urge to rub my foot and turned my attention to Ryou. He didn't look much different than before. His hair was still long and as white fresh fallen snow, and it fell to about the middle of his back. He was in his bare feet and had on ripped jeans and a T-shirt similar to Marik's. I couldn't help but be a little surprised. I didn't know what I had been expecting but a perfectly fine looking Ryou hadn't been it.

"What are you doing here Yugi?" I looked up and met Ryou's gaze, which had turned as cold as Marik's had earlier, and for a brief moment I wondered if I was looking into Bakura's eyes.

Shaking the thought from my head I met Ryou's eyes with a friendly look, "I wanted to come and see how you were doing."

"As you can see, I am doing just fine thank you." He crossed his arms across his chest and gave me a stern look. "So why now? After all these years, why come and see if I am okay _now_?"

I suddenly felt rather guilty and looked down at the ground, "I am sorry Ryou. I tried my hardest to make things right but it didn't work out. I never wanted to lose you as a friend. The others don't understand that you and the spirit of the ring were two different people, but I do. Please Bakura, I am sorry, don't let this ruin our friendship." I felt my eyes water slightly as I looked up at Ryou. He was regarding me with an odd look on his face. I took in a deep breath and waited for him to say something, anything.

"Yugi…I do appreciate what your trying to do here. It's a very kind and selfless thing, but I am fine and happy where I am now. Marik and I have a good life here, and we are doing okay."

I looked to Marik, who was still scowling, then back at Ryou and nodded, "Okay Bakura, I understand, I really do. I just want you to know, though, that if you ever need anything at all just let me know."

He glanced at Marik and then stepped out onto the porch, "You were always a good friend to me Yugi, I will always appreciate it, but things change, not everything works out like a fairytale."

I sighed, "I know, but we can fix things right?"

He had an unreadable look on his face, "I guess…"

I nodded and got out a small piece of scrap paper and quickly jotted down my cell number. "Here, I want you to have this, just in case you ever need anything or just want to hang out." I handed out the piece of paper to him and he took it and gave me a small smile.

"Thank you Yugi. I will keep that in mind."

I nodded and began my descent down the porch stairs, "Well you two take it easy okay? I won't stick around, I have work to do." I offered them both a smile and was surprised when Marik gave me a small one in return along with Ryou.

"We will." He nodded his head and gave me a small wave. "Goodbye Yugi."

"Okay, goodbye Ryou, Marik!" I turned and walked back towards my car as I heard the door shut behind me.

Sliding into the driver's side, I slid my key into the ignition and started the car. Ryou really did seem to be doing well, and at least he had company with Marik. I smiled to myself and began driving back to the game shop. Maybe I could get them to come join our circle of friends again and have it be like old times. I liked the sound of that. Maybe things would be good again, with all of us hanging out and no fate of the world clinging to my shoulder.

I continued that line of thought until I got home and walked through the bedroom door. That was when my entire way of thinking was shattered into a million pieces.

I couldn't help it, I screamed and jumped back, falling into my bookshelf and taking it down with me, along with several dozen books.

"YUGI? ARE YOU OKAY?" I heard my grandpa yell from downstairs but I couldn't grace him with a reply.

There, sitting on my bedside table as it had for so many years, was the millennium puzzle.

And that was when I passed out.


	3. Resurfacing

Author's Notes: I decided to update a day early since I got ahead on my chapter writings. Next update should be Friday if not earlier. Do enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 3: Resurfacing**

**Mariku's POV**

I watched with a bored expression as Bakura laughed in triumph, "We did it Mariku! The millennium items have been returned to their rightful owners!" He smirked and turned to me, "And you know what that means, our ticket to being out of here has been secured!"

I rolled my eyes and played with a bit of swirling black and purple shadow. Being banished to the shadow realm had not been on my to-do list when I challenged the Pharaoh however long ago. Time passed differently here in the shadows and I never really knew the difference in days. The other thing I hadn't expected was that once I had been banished was to find Bakura awhile later.

_I was wandering aimlessly through an endless maze of shadows. Nothing changed here, and there was no one around to keep me company._

_Grumbling quietly, I allowed myself to just float aimlessly amongst the shadows._

_I jerked upright as I felt something smack against my face. Looking to the side where the object came from, my eyes widened in disbelief as I saw an Egyptian male standing with his arms crossed. He was dressed in nothing but a dark colored kilt and a bright red robe that flowed out behind him. His eyes were a stark amethyst that matched mine and his hair was a grayish white that just touched his shoulders._

_He smirked and I noticed a triple scar underneath his right eye. I took a few steps towards him warily, "Who are you?"_

_He chuckled darkly and tilted his head to the one side, "Don't you recognize me Marik?"_

_I froze to the spot when I heard his voice, _that_ voice. "…Bakura?"_

_He nodded once and chuckled at my disbelieving look._

"_You…can't be…" I took another step towards him, "You look different."_

"_You didn't think I would stay in my host's body forever did you?" He took a few steps forward._

_I thought about that for a moment. He was right. Of course he wouldn't look like Ryou Bakura, he had a human body of his own once._

_I eyed him up once again, "What are you doing here anyways? I thought you had this foolproof plan to defeat the Pharaoh?"_

_Bakura scowled briefly before giving me a sly smirk, "I could say the same of you Marik."_

_Narrowing my eyes I walked the rest of the way to him, "Call me Mariku, I will not be called by Omote's name any longer."_

_He gave an indifferent shrug, "Whatever you want."_

"_So what happened? Pharaoh kick your sorry ass _again?"_ I couldn't help my grin and crossed my arms across my chest._

_He grumbled, "Not as much as he kicked yours."_

"_Oh I beg to differ." I began circling him, "I recall that duel quite well, and if it hadn't been for Omote, I would have won that battle."_

_He snorted and countered my circling by beginning to pace, "And I would have won if it hadn't been for the Pharaoh's brat."_

"_You were beat by that midget?" I laughed out loud._

"_Yes well you were beat by your own light. My landlord, however, was _shown_ that it was a mistake to ever defy me. He didn't make that mistake twice." He smirked in triumph._

_Rolling my eyes, I ceased my circling and fixed Bakura with a dark look, "Listen here thief. Your presence here annoys me. So why are you here bothering me?"_

_He continued to pace, his eyes tracing my body, "It gets lonely in the shadow realm. I thought we could use each other's company." He stopped his movements and gave me a dirty leer. I turned on my heel and began walking._

"_I am not interested in your dirty thoughts thief."_

"_That's too bad…Since I know a way in which we can get out of here and in our own bodies no less."_

_I stopped walking and slowly turned. He remained standing where I left him and he still had that damn smirk on his face._

"_What did you say?"_

_He tilted his head briefly to the side, "I think you heard me perfectly well tomb keeper."_

_I mulled the thought over in my head. Bakura could be lying, but what did it matter? I knew full well how lonely the shadow realm could be. Frowning I walked back over to where Bakura was standing, "Fine. What's the plan?"_

Bakura moved in front of me and gave me one of his grins. He only ever used this particular grin when he had sex on the mind.

"Oh Bakura not nowww." I made a whiny noise but we both knew better than that. I wanted it as bad as he did.

He chuckled and wrapped tan arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, "One last fuck before we go try to conquer the world?"

I laughed and reached around to squeeze his ass, "Okay. But just one!"

We both laughed as the shadows swirled around us; We could never do it just once.

* * *

**Ishizu's POV**

I took in a long deep breath and let it out slowly. Marik would not answer any of my calls and I was beginning to get worried. Granted, he had left me a note, but I still felt anxious.

Hanging up the phone for the umpteenth time that day, I rubbed my temples and stood up. I couldn't understand why Marik would choose to up and leave instead of coming to Odion and I and talking to us.

I moved through the house which I now shared with Odion and Marik; at least when Marik had still been here.

Walking into the kitchen, I headed to the fridge and got out some milk. I poured myself a glass and turned to go see if I could find Odion.

My eyes widened and the glass of milk slipped through my fingers, shattering against the kitchen floor. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Sitting on the kitchen table, right in the middle, was the millennium necklace, and it wasn't alone. Laying beside it was the millennium key and the millennium scales.

"ODION!" I stumbled backwards and rubbed my eyes, "ODION GET IN HERE!"

I heared heavy footfalls as my adoptive brother approached, "Ishizu what is going on?" He instantly froze when he reached the kitchen, his eyes going wide at the sight of what was sitting on our kitchen table.

"Ishizu…." He looked at me, his face lost in confusion.

"I don't know Odion…I don't know, but I think we need to get hold of Marik before…"

He met my eyes and we thought the same thing; the rod.

* * *

**Pegasus's POV**

I found myself staring at the small golden object on my desk yet again. It couldn't be…it just couldn't.

The millennium eye sat on my desk as if it had never left my side. It appeared to be taunting me, begging me to use it once again.

I reached out and snatched it off my desk and shoved it roughly into my pocket. There was no way I was going through that ordeal again. I was getting rid of this thing once and for all.

I walked down the hall and headed towards the vault. If I couldn't do anything else with it, I was going to at least shut the damn thing away so I never had to see it again.

Suddenly the hall got a lot darker. I looked up at the lights to see if maybe one had burnt out, but they were all lit up brightly.

I wrinkled my nose and walked a little quicker, maybe it was just cloud cover from outside the windows.

I continued walking towards my destination but unfortunately the darkness just got heavier. I paused as I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, expecting to see nothing, but I was sorely disappointed.

There, coming from the windows, was a black and purple smoky fog.

My eyes widened, I knew that fog. It was shadow magic. I swallowed hard and took off running only to be stopped abruptly as I ran into something.

I looked up slowly and cried out as I saw a tall male figure with wild hair dressed in a purple cloak. I scuttled backwards until my back hit something else solid; another person as I found out.

The person behind me, another male figure, this time in a red cloak with white hair, pulled me up and slammed me into the wall.

"The millennium eye, I want it, and it would be in your best interests to just hand it over to me right now."

I swallowed hard in recognition; I thought I recognized that voice. "T…Take it! I don't want it anymore! Just don't hurt me!"

The male with the wildly spiked hair walked over and stared me in the eye, "Where?"

"In my pocket! Just take it!" I shook my head and the purple cloaked male snatched the eye out of my pocket.

The white haired male chuckled and dropped me to the floor, "Good, and now, in thanks for your cooperation, we will let you live."

My shoulders sank in relief as the two figures walked away from me and were consumed by the shadows.

I rested my head against the wall, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest.

It was official. I was getting too old for this.

**

* * *

Marik's POV**

I was sitting on the couch, completely consumed by the book I was reading. Every so often I would let my concentration break and think about Yugi's visit earlier in the week. I just could not understand why he seemed to come out of the blue and ask for an apology from Ryou.

I closed my book and wrinkled my forehead in thought. I just did not understand Yugi. He was such a good guy despite everything. Like Ryou had said, he was way too nice for his own good, but I couldn't find anything else wrong with him.

I sighed and opened my book back up, at this rate it would take me forever to finish it.

I heard the door open and close as Ryou came home from getting groceries. Smiling to myself, I thought about how well I got along with Bakura's former host. Ryou was kind like Yugi, but he was selective in his kindness. He also had a backbone, which surprised me. I loved him like a brother and I realized then that I would do anything for him that I could. It made me smile because I knew he would do the same for me.

"MARIK!" I heard a loud crash from the kitchen and Ryou screamed at the top of his lungs.

I dropped my book and raced to where he was as quickly as possible, "Ryou whats wrong!"

Ryou was on the floor with his head buried in his hands, "No no no FUCK!" He gave a moaning cry and his whole body shuddered.

"Ryou whats wrong?" I went over to him and he pointed frantically at the countertop.

It was then that I saw what made Ryou freak out, and now it was my turn.

Sitting on the kitchen counter were the millennium ring and rod, resting against each other like some sort of twisted statue.

I felt my eyes widen and my legs nearly gave out. It _had_ to be some sort of joke right?

Swallowing hard I walked over to the two items and gently picked up the millennium rod.

Oh yes, it was the real deal alright. I took a shaky breath and pulled the rods hidden dagger from the bottom sheath.

I was hit hard unexpectedly with a flashback from the tomb keeper's initiation and I dropped both pieces of the rod. This time my legs _did _give out and I hit the floor hard. I started to shake badly and suddenly I felt as if my back was on fire. I bit back a scream and gripped my head. Not this shit again.

**Ryou's POV**

I heard Marik give out a strangled cry and I looked up to see him on the floor clutching his head.

I got up instantly and rushed to his side, forgetting the items for the moment. "Marik!" I shook his shoulders gently and repeated his name. This wasn't the first time this had happened to him and I knew the only way to get through to him was to be calm and collected.

"Marik, it's okay. It's Ryou, you're going to be just fine." I pulled him into a hug and ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm here and I won't leave you."

Slowly his breathing returned to normal and I felt him stop shaking. I quickly ran to the freezer and grabbed a cold pack and walked back over to Marik.

"I got some ice Marik, I am going to put it on your neck okay?" He nodded slightly and I gently eased the cold pack onto the back of his neck.

After several minutes I heard him exhale deeply and I moved the ice pack from his neck to his back. I gently ran the cool cloth up and down his back in a soothing circular pattern.

Finally he relaxed and sat up slowly to look at me, "Thanks Ryou. I wasn't expecting that."

We both looked warily at the rod. Marik reached out, picked it up and slid the two pieces back together.

He looked to me and I swallowed back the rising bile in my throat.

I stood shaking and reached out, grasping the millennium ring in my hands.

"I guess we aren't hallucinating huh?"

Marik shook his head no and stood clutching the rod, "I guess not."

I looked down at the ring and it glinted mockingly at me, "What does this mean Marik?"

"I don't know Ryou. I am almost afraid to know." He stared at the rod, as if it would tell him why it had suddenly decided to return.

I looked at the ring and silently asked that very question. _'Why are you here? Why now? Why didn't you stay buried?'_

"I don't want you back!" I suddenly screamed in anger, "I finally got my life back! I finally have it right! Now you come along to fuck my perfect life up _again_! WHY?"

It, of course, did not answer me. I growled in frustration and looked to Marik.

He was giving me a strange look and I sighed, "Sorry…lost it a little bit there for a second."

He smirked, "I noticed. So, what are we going to do with them?"

I frowned down at the ring, "If we try to get rid of them they will just come back."

Marik nodded, "You think we should call Yugi?"

I chewed the inside of my lip, "We probably should, at least see if the other items are back as well."

Marik hooked the rod into the belt of his pants as if it was second nature and he moved towards the phone, "That's a good idea, I'll just-"

He was cut off as something loud banged against the front door of our rental home.

I froze and looked at Marik. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

There was silence for a bit then another loud bang.

Marik seemed to wake up and he grabbed the rod and held it out. I looked at him and he nodded. We slowly began to make our way to the living room.

There were no more bangs against the door once we reached the room in question. Marik looked at the door and cautiously began to move towards it.

Suddenly there was a final bang and the door flew open and a voice chuckled darkly. "Landlord, I'm home!"

_Bakura._


	4. Captive

Authors Note: Well I am ahead in chapters again so I decided to post this chapter early as a reward to my readers who reviewed. Guess what! A lot of stuff actually happens in this chapter so enjoy!

Oh and did I mention I don't own YGO? I don't, I wish I did but I don't. As a result I can only borrow the characters and have fun with them. Now, onto the chapter!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 4: Captive**

**Ryou's POV**

I recognized his voice immediately, but not the face.

Bakura regarded me with hard amethyst eyes and wild silver-white hair. 'This is what he must have looked like when he was human' I thought to myself. Through my immense fear I was slightly relieved at the fact the he was in his own body for once instead of stealing mine.

Even though I was terrified of his presence, it felt like a hole inside of me was suddenly filled. It was a feeling similar to finding something you didn't know you missed until you got it back.

Regardless of the minimal good feelings, I swallowed several times and slowly backed towards the kitchen. I couldn't let him get hold of the millennium ring.

Bakura moved into the room and another person followed him. I had to blink several times to make sure I hadn't been hallucinating; the person looked just like Marik but with some very defining differences. His eyes were a harder and colder amethyst than Marik's and his face was much more angular. His hair was wild and flew back from his face in gravity defying spikes. He was also bit taller and his muscles a bit more toned and defined. All-in-all he looked like an older more athletic Marik.

The Marik look-a-like glanced at me then at Marik and chuckled darkly, "Omote, long time no see!"

Marik seemed frozen to the spot, luckily for him he still had the millennium rod clutched tightly in his hand. I could see him struggling to form words as he stared into the face of his look-a-like.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he shook the rod, "M….Mariku."

Mariku nodded and chuckled, "Aw so you do remember me Omote. I was concerned that you may have forgotten."

"Why are you here?" Marik took a small step back towards me, all the while holding the rod out in front of him.

"We want the millennium items of course." Mariku gave him a look as if that should have been glaringly obvious.

Marik shook his head, "Well sorry to disappoint you but your shit out of luck."

Bakura narrowed his eyes and looked at me, "We aren't leaving without the items."

Mariku chuckled, "Actually, we aren't leaving with them either."

I looked between them, thoroughly puzzled.

Suddenly Mariku took several steps towards Marik, causing him to scuttle in the opposite direction, away from me.

Mariku laughed and crouched, pulling his cape around him, "Just give me the rod and we can solve this very simply.

Marik held the millennium item out threateningly, "You're not getting either item Mariku! So just step back!"

Mariku only laughed and took several menacing steps closer, "You don't have the guts anymore Omote."

"Are you really so willing to risk that Mariku?" Marik stayed his ground and held the rod more firmly in his grasp.

I watched the transaction between the two Marik's with a sense of helpless apprehension. I never before felt so utterly useless. I was clutching the millennium ring so hard that my fingers were hurting. The fear was beginning to be overwhelming and I felt at such a loss.

"Landlord, hand the ring over and make this easy on yourself." I jumped as Bakura took a step around Mariku and began to head for me.

I shook my head and scuttled backwards towards the couch, "S….Stay away Bakura!" I swallowed so hard it hurt, way to sound tough Ryou.

Suddenly Bakura lunged himself at me and I cried out and moved quickly to the side, causing him to miss and tuck into a roll. I saw Marik turn to see what was going on and before I could scream to tell him to watch out, Mariku had tackled him to the ground and ripped the millennium rod from his hands.

Everything that happened after that seemed to go in slow motion. I looked up and fear shot through my veins like ice as I saw Mariku raise the millennium rod and point it directly at me.

I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. I felt my body completely freeze up and everything seemed to go completely still. I couldn't focus on my surroundings and everything was enclosed in a thick fog. An immense calm abruptly came over my body and I suddenly felt…good. A voice in my head whispered for me to relax and just hand the millennium ring over, that there was no point in fighting.

I blinked slowly and looked down at the millennium ring. Wasn't I supposed to keep it for some reason? I couldn't remember. The voice urged me to hand it over to the person in front of me. Another wave of calm descended over me and I decided that it was okay to do what the voice said. I slowly held the ring out and the person in front of me took it. Blinking slowly again as another wave of calm filled me; I swore I could hear someone screaming my name. It didn't matter though. I was okay. I felt good.

**Marik's POV**

I screamed until my throat was raw. I was so angry and even a little bit afraid. When I saw Mariku aim the millennium rod at Ryou, I felt my stomach drop. I screamed and tried to run to him but it was of no use. Mariku grabbed my arm as I went by and yanked me back, throwing me hard against the wall.

I gasped as the air was knocked from my lungs and I watched helplessly as Ryou's eyes went from wide and afraid to dull and empty.

I felt tears come to my eyes. I couldn't stand to see my closest friend fall prey to rod's enslaving powers. As I struggled to catch my breath, Bakura took the ring from a brainwashed Ryou and slung it around his neck.

Mariku chuckled and looked at me before turning to Ryou again, "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

Ryou shook his head, "No Master."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face now, "Please just leave him alone! Please! You've got your items, now just go!"

Mariku twirled the rod in his fingers, "I don't know. I kind of like him like this, don't you Omote? So quiet and obedient. The perfect mind slave."

I shuddered and my breath hitched as another batch of tears fell. This was not at all like my fantasies of Bakura returning. I don't know what I really had expected, but it certainly wasn't him busting down the door with my darker half in tow and demanding the millennium items.

Mariku unsheathed the rod and grabbed me by my hair and yanked me up, "Come here Omote. Let me get a good look at you." I stifled back a cry as he tilted my head back and held the dagger point to my throat. He chuckled darkly and slid the blade to my Addams apple, "Oh don't be scared, Bakura and I will take good care of you both." He laughed and Bakura joined in.

I gulped and Bakura turned his cold gaze to me. That was another thing I had not foreseen in my Bakura returning scenario; him returning in his original body.

I let my eyes wander all over him, exploring every inch and committing it to memory. His purple eyes were narrowed into almost slits and his silver-white hair was wild but it framed his face nicely. He had on a dark red muscle shirt that showed off the toned muscles of his chest and arms and he had khaki pants on as bottoms with sandals on his feet. He also had on a red robe with white accents on it and it curled around him as if offering protection, not that he needed it though.

I shook my head, Bakura had been handsome in Ryou's body but he was downright doable now.

Mariku clicked his tongue and dug the rod into my throat a little, making me gasp. "Come now Omote. I will give you and the thief plenty of time to catch up later. Maybe if he is feeling kind, he will show you more of that anatomy of his that you seem so fond of." He chuckled darkly and I gulped causing the rod to dig into my throat some more.

"Mind slave, do you have any rope?" Mariku glanced at Ryou who turned his head and met Mariku's eyes with a blank gaze, "Yes."

Mariku nodded and gestured with the rod, "Be a good slave and fetch it for me would you?"

Ryou stood and slowly made his way towards the hall closet where we had all our utility supplies stored.

I grumbled, "You won't get away with this you know."

Bakura walked over to me and slapped me across the face, "Still the whiny little brat from Battle City I see."

I felt my eyes water, not from the sting of the slap, but the sting of the words. I looked at Bakura, the hurt showing clearly on my face. I thought I saw a flash of something akin to guilt in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Bakura wrinkled his nose and turned, going into the kitchen, "Tell that worthless host of mine to hurry up. We have a mission to accomplish."

Mariku gave him a dirty look before roughly pushing me onto the couch, "Would you just relax thief? We aren't going anywhere for awhile, this is going to take time and patience."

I heard Bakura growl from the kitchen as he began to go through our cupboards. "You better have something good to eat in here tomb keeper."

I sighed, "We just bought food Bakura, there ought to be something out there."

It was at this point that Ryou came back with rope in his hands and handed it over to Mariku.

My darker half smiled, "Good mind slave, now, sit in that chair over there." He pointed to a kitchen chair that I had used earlier as a stool to change a light bulb.

Ryou went and sat in the chair while Mariku went over to him and began tying his arms, legs and waist to it with the rope.

I looked over at the unguarded door and the rash thought of running flashed through my head. Before I could even put the thought through the rational part of my brain, I bolted towards the door as fast as I could.

I had no more than reached the door knob when I felt hands grab my wrist and yank me hard back into the room.

I crashed into the back of the sofa and moaned lightly in pain.

Bakura stood looming over me and put his foot on my chest, "Nice try Marik, but not good enough I am afraid." He roughly grabbed my arm and held a large kitchen knife to my throat. "Sorry to say but you are just going to have to put up with us for awhile."

He roughly shoved me over to another kitchen chair and began to tie me up, all the while holding the knife to my throat.

Mariku finished tying up Ryou and he pulled the rod away and tucked it into the loop of his pants, allowing Ryou to awake from his mind control.

Mariku joined Bakura in tying me up as I watch Ryou blink several times in confusion.

**Ryou's POV**

The calm feeling slowly subsided and I blinked a few times to try and clear the fog from my mind and sight.

Suddenly everything came flooding back to me. _Bakura. He was back. _I immediately tried to stand up but found I was tied firmly in place to a kitchen chair.

"Ryou!"

I looked over and saw Marik in a similar position, "Marik!" I struggled and tried to get out of the chair but it was no use. I was stuck.

I looked around the room and rested my sight on our captors.

Mariku, as Marik called him, was standing in between us with Bakura. He was talking to the former tomb robber in an ancient tongue that I assumed was ancient Egyptian. I looked to Marik and he had his head cocked trying to listen.

"Alright this is what is going to happen."

I looked up as Bakura switched to Japanese and took charge of the situation.

"Mariku and I are in need of a place to stay. Lucky for us, it seems like you have a perfectly good place right here. It's close enough to the city but secluded enough that we won't attract unwanted attention."

"No way!" I yelled out and struggled harder, "Like hell are you coming in and screwing up my life again Bakura!"

He turned and looked at me, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Excuse me? You don't seem to be in a position to be setting conditions Landlord."

I was shaking in both fear and anger; there was no way that I was going to go down without a fight, "Fuck you Bakura!"

I didn't even have time to think before Bakura moved like lightening and slapped me hard across the face, "Looks like you forgot my lessons already Landlord. It really hasn't been that long." He grabbed my chin in his hand and he got eye to eye with me, "I can always refresh your memory."

I gulped and shook my head no, fully remembering both the psychological and physical damage Bakura caused during the years of my sharing a body with him.

He nodded, "Good. Now, as I was saying, we need a place to stay and this happens to be the perfect location."

He moved to the center of the room once again and Marik gave me a concerned look. I shook my head and smiled reassuringly at him. He didn't look convinced but he turned back to Mariku and Bakura anyways.

"Mariku and I have devised a plan to make up for all our failed attempts to take over the world. This time we will not fail."

"So it was you?" I looked over at Marik when he spoke up, "You're the ones who brought back the millennium items?"

Bakura smirked and nodded, "We are."

I scowled and struggled again even though it was useless, "Why can't you just go? You got our items, now leave us alone!"

Mariku looked at me, "No can do. We need you and Omote to help us get closer to the other items."

Marik narrowed his eyes and struggled more, "As if we will actually help you!"

Bakura turned on him and snarled, "As if you have a choice!"

I yanked hard on the ropes, feeling the ones on my arms give a little, "I won't help either of you! You can't force me!"

Mariku suddenly pulled out the rod and pointed it at me again, sending chills down my spine, "Actually, Ryou, I can and will make you if you choose not to cooperate."

I swallowed hard and looked down feeling utterly defeated and helpless. There was no way we were getting out of this situation, at least not any time soon.

Mariku smirked, obviously happy about my concession of defeat, and slid the rod back through his belt loop.

Bakura spoke up again, "Now, all the millennium items should be in the possession of their previous owners, save for the scales and key. They will be the only real challenge to find." He began a slow pace across my living room, walking in front of me then moving over past Marik. "Landlord," he stopped and turned to look at me and I bit back a shudder, "where is your medicine cabinet?"

I raised my eyebrow at the question, "Why?"

Scowling he moved rapidly over to my side of the room, "Where is it?"

I gulped and nodded my head towards my bedroom, "In the master bathroom."

He immediately walked back the hall to my bedroom and I gave Marik a questioning glance and he shrugged in return.

Mariku even looked puzzled as Bakura came out looking victorious and holding a pill bottle.

I felt my stomach drop as I realized what they were. Vicodin, from when I had to have my wisdom teeth out a few weeks back. I had only taken two out of the entire bottle since I didn't like to take drugs and the pain really hadn't been that bad.

"Mariku, get me a glass of water would you?"

Mariku gave Bakura a curious look before going into the kitchen and returning with a bottle of water from the fridge.

Bakura nodded approvingly and read the bottle before spilling two into his hand, "Okay Landlord your first. Open up."

I gave him a look that clearly said that no way in hell was I letting him shove those pills down my throat.

He gave an exasperated sigh and as if on cue, Mariku pulled the rod back out.

Bakura returned his gaze to me, "I will give you both one last chance to do what I say willingly. If you don't cooperate you will get enslaved by the rod and you will do it anyways. Now, what's your choice?"

I looked at Marik and he met my gaze before speaking, "You're seriously not going to drug us."

"Watch me." He walked over to me and grabbed my chin in his hand, "Open Landlord. We have some things to do outside the house and we can't leave you here, alone and conscious. Of course I can always beat you over the head with something blunt until you go unconscious, that _is_ an alternative option."

I sighed; maybe if we cooperated then they would leave sooner. Fat chance but with Mariku holding the rod we didn't have any choice in the matter anyways, "Fine Bakura. Just give them to me."

He smirked and I opened my mouth, "Your finally learning after all these years my host, I'm so proud." He laid the two pills on my tongue and gestured to Mariku who came and poured some water into my mouth.

I grimaced at the bitter taste and swallowed. Marik was looking at me in surprise.

"Marik, they are going to make us do it anyways, so just do what they say."

He frowned slightly but couldn't argue my logic.

Bakura and Mariku walked over to him and he didn't fight them as he swallowed the pills either.

Bakura smiled and stood observing us both, "Don't you worry, we'll take good care of you both."

I gave him a hard glare as I felt the pills start to take effect.

My vision started to blur some and my eyelids began to become too heavy to keep open. My limbs felt like dead weight and it was near impossible to hold my head up.

The last thing I saw before I completely blacked out was Mariku tilting his head and watching me with a cold but curious gaze.


	5. Returns

Author's Note: I know I said to some people I would update Thursday but I am trying to update on a M W F schedule with Orchid-Unscripted. So you get it at midnight instead. That enough compromise for you? XD Anyways, sorry to say but this chapter is mainly filler. Hey! It's interesting filler tho! At least I hope so...XD Next update should be Monday August 30th. Do enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 5: Returns**

**Yugi's POV**

"_Yugi."_

I knew that voice.

I looked around but couldn't find the source. "Ya...I mean…Atem?" I swallowed and continued looking around but my surroundings were shrouded in darkness.

"_Aibou."_

I jumped and turned around. It had been so close, "Atem? Is that you?"

I could hear the smile in his voice when he repeated his words, "Aibou. You look well."

I turned again and my eyes widened, "Yami!" I completely abandoned his original name in my excitement upon seeing his face and raced towards him.

"Yugi." He smiled and held out his arms as I barreled into him.

"Yami! It's really you!" I couldn't believe it. He was dressed in a black tank and black pants, and was accessorized in the various belts and buckles that we always wore. He looked the same as he always had except he had retained his bronze skin and ruby colored eyes from his past life.

"Aibou. I've missed you so much." He hugged me tightly then let go to stand back and look at me.

"Yami! Your back!" I laughed and was tempted to run up and hug him again.

"Not exactly Yugi." Upon seeing my puzzled look he explained further, "You're having a dream right now."

I could feel the disappointment write itself all over my face, "O…Oh…So you're not coming back?

"I am afraid I can't." He shuffled his feet and looked around, "At least I don't think so."

I looked at him with a questioning glance, "You think there could be a way for you to come back?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, but it is a nice thought."

"Don't you like it in the afterlife?" I always figured Atem would miss us, but to want to rejoin us instead of being with his friends in the afterlife? I didn't understand.

Atem seemed to get lost in thought for a moment before gracing me with a reply, "It is enjoyable, but I miss life. I miss you, and the others."

I could understand that, I mean, Yami and I had been together for so long and we also shared a soul. It was only natural that he would want to come back.

"How are things Aibou?"

I was torn from my internal mulling by his voice. "Oh things are good. We all still hang out and stuff. Well except Kaiba of course…and Bakura."

"Bakura? Oh you mean Ryou."

I nodded, "Yeah, Joey and the others kind of…well…they treated him like dirt so he moved away. I visited him today though and he seemed well. Marik was living with him."

He cocked his head at that. "Marik? Really?"

I nodded, "I know, it surprised me too. They seemed to be really close friends." I didn't mention Marik nearly taking my foot off in the door and Ryou's cold responses.

"Well that's good then." He looked me over, "And I trust that you are doing well Yugi?"

"Yeah, I am real good though I don't really duel anymore. We all sort of stopped." I shuffled my feet a bit, "It just isn't the same."

It was then a thought occurred to me and I looked up at him in curiosity, "Why are you visiting just now? I mean, why haven't you visited sooner?"

"Well, I was just about to ask you about that." He fixed me with a curious look, "I could feel the millennium puzzle's presence, and so I was able to come through it from the spirit world. How is it that you have the puzzle back Yugi?"

I blinked, I had completely forgotten about the puzzle, "I actually have no clue. I came home from Bakura's and it was sitting on my side table like always."

He frowned deeply, "It sounds suspicious Yugi, I would be very wary."

"You really think something is going on?"

"I don't know, but I can't imagine why the millennium puzzle would just show up in your room without some sort of outside help. And if I am able to be back and communicate with you, then there may be a chance that Bakura is back as well."

I stood there in shock, the thought of Bakura being back had never crossed my mind, "But we banished him!"

He nodded, "We did, but that wasn't the first time we so called 'banished' Bakura. He seems to keep finding ways to come back."

I chewed on my lip, he was right. "I promise to be careful Yami. I will look into it more."

"Good, but just be careful please."

"I will." I stood confidently, we had taken down Bakura many times before and we could do it again if we had to.

He sighed, "Listen, I can't stay any longer, but I will visit again Yugi, I promise."

I felt my heart wrench, "I wish you didn't have to go. I wish you could come back with us."

"Me too Aibou." He gave me a final hug as his form began to go see through. "Take care of yourself, and I will be back."

I fought back tears as I watched him completely fade away, "Take care Yami."

* * *

**Marik's POV**

As soon as I heard the door shut behind Bakura I opened my eyes and spat the pills onto the floor. I was grateful that Bakura was enough of an idiot that he didn't check to make sure that we both actually swallowed the pills.

Unfortunately I don't think Ryou had followed my train of thought.

"Ryou!" I yelled his name and tried to wiggle out of the ropes, "Ryou wake up!" I growled in frustration and fought harder. There had to be some way for me to get out of here.

"RYOU!" I screamed his name again but it was no use, he was out cold.

"Guess I have to get out of this on my own…" I looked around to see if there was anything in sight that I could possibly use to my advantage.

It was then I spotted the kitchen knife that Bakura had used to threaten me with. The only problem was that it was sitting on the side table across the other side of the living room.

"Okayyy…Marik you can do this. Just think." It was then that I had a thought. I remembered seeing this American movie in which the main character had been tied up in a chair and in a similar situation to the one I was in right now. The character had been able to scoot his chair across the room and reach the knife to cut himself free.

I smirked and congratulated myself on the brilliant idea.

"Okay, let's do this!" I set my eyes on my goal and jerked my entire body forward. I felt the chair slide ahead a tiny bit and I grinned in triumph. '_One down and a million more to go!_'

Once again I threw my body as hard as I could against the chair and I moved even more, except that I found myself moving in a completely negative direction.

I squeaked in surprise as the chair tipped over and I face planted into the floor.

I groaned in pain and frustration, '_And that Marik, is what they call an epic failure_.'

* * *

**Mokuba's POV**

I took off my glasses and rubbed the bridge of my nose. I had been staring at that computer screen for way too long.

With a sigh, I pushed my rolling chair away from my desk and held my arms up in a stretch. I had no idea how Seto managed to do this sort of thing without completely burning himself out.

Speaking of Seto, I hadn't seen him around at all lately.

Frowning, I decided to get up and go for a small walk to the kitchen to stretch my legs and perhaps grab something to drink or eat while I was at it.

The walk to the kitchen was a lonely one. We lived in such a big mansion that it was a rare moment when we would run into each other.

It saddened me that Seto and I had begun to grow so far apart. It never used to be like this. I missed the days when my big brother and I would play together and fantasize about someday living this sort of life.

I shook my head and walked to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle and an apple.

"Mokuba?"

I turned and smiled upon seeing my big brother leaning against the door frame.

"Hey Seto!" My smile didn't last long though when I was able to get a good look at him.

He looked absolutely drained of both life and energy. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was a ghostly pale.

"Seto…you don't look so good."

He scowled and walked over to the fridge to also retrieve a bottle of water, "You always say that Mokuba."

I knew we were about to have another all out battle, but it had to be done.

"Because you always look like you just crawled out of a coffin Seto!" I walked over to him and put my hands on his shoulder. "You're really starting to scare me."

He gave me look that had a condescending edge to it and shook my hands off, "Listen. Mokuba. I am doing fine. I just had a rough night is all."

I gave him my best 'you're full of shit' look, "You are having an awful lot of those lately. Maybe you should consider taking some time off." I braced myself for his reaction.

"Mokuba, your concern is dually noted, but completely unfounded." He took a swig of the water and put it back in the refrigerator before beginning to walk away.

I knew I had him irritated when I got him talking in business speak.

"Seto wait!" I could see him take in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. That didn't deter me though, I was going to be damned if he escaped me again without getting an earful. Maybe one of these times he would actually listen to me.

"Please hear me out just this one time okay? I know you let whatever I say travel in one ear and out the other, but maybe this time you can at least consider hearing me out."

He turned and fixed me with a look, "Okay Mokuba. I'm listening."

"Every time I have seen you these past few weeks, you have looked like crap. I don't want to be mean, but damnit Seto, I have to say _something_. I know you're not getting enough sleep or enough nutrition and it is wreaking havoc on your body. Quite frankly I am amazed you have managed this long without landing yourself in the hospital."

I saw him roll his eyes and wrinkle his nose, but I could tell by the way he was standing that he was hearing what I was saying.

"I am really getting scared Seto. You won't take any time off at all, not even a few hours! Can you not take a break for one day at least? Just _one_ Seto. One day where you are not beating yourself up over some financial report or some important business meeting. Is there not one day where you can stay home and act like a normal teenage boy or get out and do something fun? Go to the arcade or chase pretty girls! Just do _something _normal!"

By the time I had finished my little rant, I had tears streaming down my face. I hadn't even noticed I started crying until a tear slid into my mouth and I tasted it.

My brother was looking at me now with a slightly guilty look on his face, "Mokuba…"

"Please Seto. Can you do this for me? Just take a little time off every once in awhile. Even if it's just a few hours for a little nap, or fifteen minutes to take a small snack break. Do something before I lose the only family I have left!"

I finally lost it and the tears came rushing forth like a flood. I couldn't help it, I was so afraid of losing Seto like I lost the rest of my family. First mom and dad, then our stepfather, even though I hated him he _was_ family, then the stepbrother I only learned existed before he was gone too. I was so afraid of losing the only family I had left that I would do anything at this point to prevent it.

"Okay Mokuba. I will take it easy from time to time. Please don't cry."

It was the softest that I had heard Seto speak in a long time.

"Thank you. You don't understand how much that means to me." I stepped forward and took him into a tight embrace. "I love you nii-sama."

"I love you too Mokuba." He patted my back gently before slowly pulling me back.

"You look tired yourself. How about we both go to our bedrooms and take a little nap hm?"

It was then that I noticed how tired I felt, "Okay Seto. Sounds like a good idea to me."

He nodded and gave me a small smile before heading off in the direction of his bedroom.

I watched until he was out of sight and I heard the door to his bedroom open and shut in the distance.

I guessed that if Seto was going to cooperate, I probably should as well.

I took a swig of my water and put both it and my untouched apple back in the fridge then headed towards my bedroom.

A part of me was jumping for joy that Seto actually listened to me and promised to do something about it. I knew my nii-sama never broke his promises, but another part of me was also concerned that this would be a first for him.

I walked into my room, put on my glasses and sat down at my computer to finish up the last paragraph of a report I was doing of the progress of the American Kaiba Land.

Satisfied with what I had wrote, I hit the save button and closed the document manager.

"There." I smiled and moved the cursor to turn off the computer when a little black window popped up.

I frowned and clicked the x in the corner but it didn't close.

After several more failed attempts to close the box I clenched my fists in frustration.

"Oh come on, you have got to be kidding me." I looked away and was just about ready to shut the damn thing off when a voice came from my computer screen.

"Mokuba, wait!"

I paused and shook my head, I had to be hearing things. It couldn't be him, he was dead.

"Mokuba!"

I saw a flicker of something in the little box on my screen and I turned to look.

I was lucky I had been sitting down because if I would have been in an upright position I would have ended up on the floor.

I swallowed hard and leaned closer to the screen, "N…Noah? Is that you?"


	6. Revelations

My writing partner and I couldn't wait to post another chapter so we decided to do it. Aren't you all lucky? Well if you like the story that is XD. Another filler but some more stuff happens. Without further delay here is chapter 6!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 6: Revelations **

**Ryou's POV**

These past few weeks have been nothing but hell for Marik and I.

Bakura and Mariku have stayed true to their word and have stuck around our apartment, feeding off of our things like leeches. I have never gone through food so fast in my life.

I look over to see Marik asleep in the reclining chair. We don't get much sleep anymore either thanks to the fact that we are constantly being watched. They divided the work between them the first day they arrived; Mariku babysits me while Bakura watches Marik. There is never a moment when either of us is alone, only the rare instances in which we get to use the restroom.

I rubbed my temples and thought back, trying to figure out any reason as to how Bakura and Mariku managed to show up at my doorstep with their own bodies.

"_Landlord, wake up."_

_I heard his voice but decided to ignore it, I was too tired and my body felt like it was encased in cement._

"_Landlord, I told you to wake up." _

_I felt a none too light slap on my face. Moaning I forced my eyes to open._

_Bakura was nothing but a blur of tan, red and white and I had to blink several times before he finally came into focus._

_Bakura smirked in triumph and mockingly patted me on the head, "What a good host I have." _

_I blinked a few more times and shook my head lightly to try to clear out the mental fog my brain was still lost in._

_I looked for Marik but neither he nor Mariku were in sight._

_I f your looking for your housemate, he's being tied up in a more effective way. He grinned and crossed his arms. "He tried to make an escape but he failed miserably. He could have gotten lucky though and I will not take that risk again._

_I felt my eyes widen slightly, Marik had tried to escape? How did he wake up before me and in enough time to try to run before Bakura and Mariku came back? There was also the fact that he was tied to a chair as well._

_I shook the questions from my head; it didn't matter now though anyways, we were still stuck here. _

_I heard footsteps as Mariku emerged dragging Marik behind him._

_Marik was gagged and had his hands tied firmly behind his back and his feet were tied together. He growled and cursed as Mariku tossed him onto the couch._

_Bakura moved to the center of the room and eyed both Marik and I up, "Now this is how things are going to go from now on. Mariku and I cannot trust you two by yourselves or together without supervision so we are going to have to split you up like children."_

_He glanced at Marik, "I will be watching you Marik and Mariku will be watching my host. This can work to our advantage since Mariku can pose as Marik and take landlord with him when he goes out. Also, since Mariku carries the millennium rod, if my dear host gets any funny ideas about escaping he can be easily subdued."_

_I swallowed hard and looked at Mariku and he gave me a chilling smirk in return._

_Bakura sat on the couch beside Marik, "Marik and I can bond here." He laughed as Marik tried to kick him and continued on, "Mariku will be taking your room landlord and I will take Marik's. You two can sleep on the floor beside the beds."_

"_What!" I cried out in protest. "You can't kick me out of my own bed."_

_Bakura rolled his eyes, "I can and I just did. Settle down Landlord, the sooner you get it through your head that we are going to be sticking around, the easier it will be on both you and Marik."_

_I frowned and felt my eyes sting with angry tears. Was my life ever going to be normal?_

_A tear escaped and fell down my cheek as I realized the cold hard truth; probably not._

I felt Mariku's gaze against my back again. I knew it was him since Bakura was out doing God knows what. I fought back a shudder and turned around to look at him.

He had the same look on his face that he always did when he looked at me; His head tilted slightly to the side, eyes narrowed a little bit and his mouth set in a tight line.

Finally I couldn't handle it much more and I squared my shoulders and stared Mariku right in the face, "What are you staring at?"

Mariku seemed taken aback and his eyes widened a tiny bit in surprise, "You of course."

I seriously almost face-palmed, "I know that. _Why_ are you staring at me?"

"Why didn't you just ask that then?" He seemed genuinely confused.

I opened my mouth to give him a sarcastic answer but I stopped myself when I realized Mariku's question had been completely valid. Damnit I hated when the dumbest questions made sense.

Instead of replying I simply repeated my question, "Why are you staring at me."

"You're very odd looking."

I raised an eyebrow to hide the slight hurt in my eyes, "Excuse me?"

Mariku seemed puzzled as to why he had to repeat himself but he did it anyways, "You're very odd looking."

After another internal face-palm I rephrased my question, "What's so odd about how I look?" Even though I knew what he was probably going to say, I wanted to hear it for myself. I always hated people staring at me because of my exotic appearance.

Mariku surprised me by getting up and walking over so he was standing directly in front of me. "Your hair." He slowly reached out and took a small chunk in his hand, "I have never seen hair this color before."

I swallowed back my fear, Mariku had never come this close to me before and I admit I was a bit freaked out, "Uh yeah it's um…rare."

"Does it make you unhappy? To be…_unique_?"

I blinked a few times in surprise, "Oh um…not…really I guess."

Mariku just stared at me as if he was expecting me to say more, "I like your hair, it's different and I like different." He dropped my hair and stepped back.

I swallowed hard, "Uh thanks…I think."

He nodded and walked back to the wall he had been leaning against originally.

I was still stunned from the odd interaction when I heard Marik begin to stir.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes before looking around.

"Have a pleasant nap Omote?" Mariku's voice had a sharp and sarcastic edge to it, completely different than from our conversation.

Marik narrowed his eyes at him, "Yes actually." He then turned and looked at me. His hands were also tied together in front of him and he struggled to get himself into a sitting position, "Where's Bakura?"

I shrugged, "Out destroying the city I suppose."

Marik scoffed, "Wouldn't surprise me." He looked at Mariku, "I need a shower."

Mariku just raised an eyebrow.

Marik took in a deep breath and I could tell he was trying to reign in his anger, "You think you could untie me so I could take one?"

"Ryou managed to take his shower with his hands tied."

Marik looked at me and I shrugged, "It takes longer, and you might not get all the soap out but it can be done. Though you have to let it air dry because using a hairdryer is damn near impossible."

Marik let out a huge sigh, "Fine, then I am going to go take a shower if that's okay with you."

Mariku crossed his arms and nodded, "Knock yourself out Omote."

Marik walked by him scowling and Mariku grinned, "And I mean that literally."

I chuckled as Marik flipped him off and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

I watched Joey as he paced about my room, picking up and setting down various trinkets, "Thank you for inviting me over Yug, but I am kind of puzzled as to why we are just sitting here in your room."

I took in a deep breath, "Joey, I have something big to tell you and I am trying to think of a good way to phrase it."

He picked up my deck and began to thumb through it, "Alright then." He gave me a puzzled glance then continued looking through my cards.

I took another brief moment to gather my thoughts before deciding that it was either now or never, "Atem has been visiting me in my dreams."

I heard cards hitting the floor and I looked up to see Joey staring at me in shock, my cards scattered around the floor at his feet.

"Yug! How could you keep from telling us that Atem was back?"

I sighed, "He's not really…back per se Joey. I told you, he visits me in my dreams and it's not like its every night." I stood and walked over to my armoire and pulled out a box.

Joey watched me with a puzzled expression on his face, "Whats that?"

"Atem visiting me isn't the only thing I haven't told anyone about yet." I opened the box and slowly pulled out the millennium puzzle.

I was glad Joey wasn't holding anything breakable because the look on his face clearly told me that if he hadn't been sitting he would have been on the floor in seconds.

"Yugi…is that what I think it is?"

I nodded and cradled the millennium puzzle in my hands, "That day I went to visit Bakura I came back and it was sitting on my bedside table like it never had left in the first place." I glance up at him and his jaw was almost to the floor.

"How in the world could you keep this all from us? You know you can trust us, we're your friends!"

I chewed on my lip, "I know Joey, and it's not that I didn't trust you guys. I just wanted to make sure things didn't go up in flames before I decided to drag you guys into it."

He laughed, "Oh come on Yug, it's not like before!"

"I don't know Joey; I mean…the millennium puzzle wouldn't just randomly show up on my table."

Joey surprised me by beginning to pick up my cards, "Yeah well it's not like the other items are back too right? It's just the puzzle."

I froze. I hadn't even given thought to the other items. I had been so wrapped up in Atem and the millennium puzzle that I had completely forgotten about the possibility of the others returning as well, "To be honest Joey, that is the first time I even thought about the other items."

He stared at me, "Are you kidding me? Well if Bakura didn't have the ring when you saw him…"

He did have a point, "Yeah but I only discovered the puzzle when I got home; he may not have found it yet."

Joey seem unconcerned though, "Don't you think that Bakura would have had a shit fit if he found the millennium ring sitting in his bedroom? There is no reason why he wouldn't have called you to tell you."

I felt my shoulders sag in relief at Joey's logic, he was right, I was sure that Bakura or Marik would have called if they had found the ring and rod like I had found the puzzle. "Yeah I guess your right Joey." I smiled and sat down on my bed.

"So what does Atem say? When he visits ya in your dreams?"

I thought back to my dream conversations with Atem and the things he said to me, "Well, he said that he missed us all, and he wished he could come back to our world."

Joey couldn't seem to shut his mouth, "This is so cool man!"

I smiled a little bit, "Yeah I guess."

Joey was still looking completely awe struck, "You guess? This is _huge_ man! You have been talking to Atem! _And_ he said he wanted to come back!"

"I know Joey but realistically it's impossible, I mean I don't know where to even start with getting him his own body."

He seemed to realize this point for the first time, "Well at least we can talk to him! Maybe we can get him back in your body!"

I thought about that for a brief moment, "As much as I miss Atem, I do like having my body and thoughts to myself. It's sort of exhausting sharing a mind with someone else." I played with the millennium puzzle which was now sitting in my lap. I hadn't put it on yet, I was almost scared to, as if the second I put it on this perfect illusion would fall apart and I would lose Atem all over again.

"What else did he say? You said he visited you in your dreams several times now, I am sure he said more than 'I want to come back'. Come on Yugi, spill it."

"He really didn't say a whole lot more than that Joey. He just told me to be wary of the puzzle returning, that maybe this meant that the spirit of the millennium ring could be back as well. That and we just talked about old times."

Joey scoffed at the idea, "We already cleared that up Yug. So just tell Atem to quit worrying and start thinking about how to get back!"

I rolled my eyes, "Joeyyy."

He just shrugged, "I'm just saying! I mean how cool would it be to have him back with us again! And this time he would have his own body and he wouldn't need to worry about saving the world!"

I had to admit, the idea did sound awfully nice, "Yeah your right Joey. I am not going to push it with him though; I never know when I am actually going to see him."

Joey nodded, "Tell him I said hi! Oh man I cannot _wait _to tell everyone else! Tea is gonna be ecstatic when she hears about this."

Shaking my head I laughed lightly, "Well she better not get too excited, it's only me he's visiting."

Joey stood up and walked towards the door and set my deck on my desk as he passed by, "Well tell him to be a little more sociable will ya?"

I laughed, "He's able to come to me because I have the puzzle Joey." I stood up and looked at him, "Where are you going?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, but this news has me excited and I can't stay cramped in this room any longer!"

I shook my head laughing and walked to put the millennium puzzle back into its box, "You saying my room is small?"

He laughed and gave me a wicked grin, "Just a little bit! Come on! Let's go see those new cards your grampa was going on about earlier."

"Alright sounds good to me." I put the puzzle and its box back into the bottom drawer of my bureau and followed Joey out the door smiling all the way.


	7. Secrets

Author's Notes: Chapter 7! I really enjoyed writing this one for reasons you will probably figure out. There will also be more defined Prideshipping than I had previously anticipated and I hope this doesn't chase anyone away. As I said before the two main shippings will still be death and thief/citron so no worries. Reviews are appreciated. Seriously, they keep me writing quickly and therefore updating quickly. So even if you don't want to get in depth just let me know you like it. I appreciate reviews of any kind. Okay okay I will let you go onto the story. That _is_ if your still reading this. If you are you get a cookie. -hands you a cookie- Now enjoy the story!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 7: Secrets**

**Seto's POV**

I looked at my computer wearily; it had been an extremely long day.

I had been through several different meetings today, each one testing my patience a little more than the last.

Rubbing my eyes I blinked a few times before turning back to the screen.

"_You're killing yourself Seto."_

I froze, my fingers hovering just above the keyboard. I had to be hallucinating. Mokuba was right; these late nights were wreaking havoc on my body.

I shook it off and began typing up a financial report that I would need for a meeting next week.

"_Seto, please go to bed."_

I stopped my typing again and looked around the dark room but didn't see anyone, and I certainly didn't see _him_.

I straightened my shoulders and narrowed my eyes, "I am not going to listen to some sick figment of my imagination.

I swear to God I heard a sigh.

Rubbing my temples I closed my eyes and took a small break from staring at the bright screen in the dimly lit room.

"_Would it help if I said I wasn't a figment of your imagination?"_

My eyes shot open and I looked around frantically, the voice sounded much closer that time.

"You _are_ because he's not here anymore. Your just part of an overactive imagination coupled with too many late nights on the job and not enough food."

"There is a way to fix that you know."

I nearly jumped out of my chair when the translucent form of Atem appeared on my desk.

Okay I had officially lost it.

"What the hell? Okay, that coffee had to be laced with something. _Somebody_ is getting fired tomorrow." I picked up my cup of coffee and sniffed it suspiciously.

Atem chuckled and leaned forward on my desk, "Come _on_ now Seto. Let's be reasonable here."

I shook my head, "I am not reasoning with a hallucination."

He smirked, "I should hope not, or else I would be concerned about your mental stability Seto."

"_You're_ the hallucination Yami." I groaned, "This is _so_ not happening."

I shut the lid on my laptop and walked over to the door to my office.

"Where are you going Seto? To bed I hope." I could almost see the annoyingly smug smirk on his face.

I grumbled and put my hand on the door handle, "Okay I get it. My brain is trying to tell me I need sleep and the only way it thought it could get through to me was to project a hallucination in the form of my former lover to tell me to be healthier. I get it now, so you can go away."

"You and I both know that's not true, though I wouldn't expect you to admit it to yourself yet." Atem's voice caused shivers to travel down my spine and I couldn't fight back the shudder it caused.

"You're not real damnit." I bit my lip to fight the watering feeling in my eyes, "You left, moved on, whatever they call it now. The real Atem is in the spirit world with all his old buddies."

"Correction, I _was_ in the spirit world with all my 'old buddies', as you put it, but now I am here Seto…with _you_."

I turned to see him still perched on my desk. He looked the same as he had in the past, save for his modern clothing and transparent appearance. "How?"

He shrugged, "To be honest I don't know." He slid off the desk and moved towards me. "It all started when Yugi got the millennium puzzle back and I found that I could visit him in his dreams."

I blinked; Yugi had that obnoxious trinket back? "Since when?"

Yami stopped a few feet in front of me and looked up into my eyes, "Since a few weeks ago when it inexplicably showed up in his room."

I let that thought roll around in my head a bit, "I see. How are you here then? I don't have any of those blasted items."

Atem shrugged again with a graceful roll of his shoulders, "I don't know. I just know that I have gotten stronger over the weeks and that I am now able to appear in this form for extended periods of time before having to return to the spirit realm."

I found myself fighting internally. This couldn't be real; it had to be a hallucination or something right? I looked at Atem who was still standing in front of me with a patient look in his eyes.

"I don't expect you to believe me yet Seto, but I just had to see you and make sure you're okay. Though, you don't look very okay." He reached his hand out and made to grab mine but it went right through.

I swallowed hard, "I'm fine."

"You think I am a hallucination brought on by little to no sleep or food. You know damn well that you're pushing yourself way too far."

I held back a scoff, "You're beginning to sound like Mokuba now Yami."

He sighed, "I'm just saying, please take it easy. I want to see you again but I don't want it to be in the spirit realm."

I sighed, "I'm going to bed now."

"Thank you Seto."

I nodded stiffly and turned to leave, "If you're not just some vivid creation of my mind, and I still believe it's possible, will you visit again?"

"Of course I will."

I allowed a slight smile at that, "Okay Yami, goodnight."

"Goodnight Seto. _Ana uħibbuk_."

I paused when he made in the switch in languages but I couldn't wipe the genuine smile from my face as I replied.

"I love you too Yami."

* * *

**Ryou's POV**

I sighed heavily and looked around Marik's room in boredom. I had awoken to Bakura roughly grabbing me off the floor and shoving me onto the bed and demanding my car keys. I told him where they were and he left, slamming and locking the door on his way out.

So now I was stuck here in Marik's room with nothing to do. That's not to say that there was nothing of interest in his room, but I didn't feel it would be appropriate to invade his privacy by snooping through his things.

I glanced around the room again. Marik kept his room plain and very clean. I don't think I had ever seen it dirty.

My eyes wandered over to the open closet door and spotted a toppled over box. It was then I recognized it as the box that Marik kept his sketchbooks in. I eased myself off the bed and walked over to the box and picked it up.

Marik already showed me his sketchbooks, so it was okay if I wanted to go through them again right? It was only fair since I gave him unlimited access to my monster world room.

I gently carried the box back to the bed where I set it down beside me and opened it up.

I pulled each sketchbook out one by one and went through each page much slower now that I had time to spare. I still couldn't get over the shock of how well Marik drew. I couldn't even _trace_ that well.

I got to the last one and flicked to the last pages. I felt my eyes widen in shock.

Marik had drawn _me_.

It was so well done that I felt almost as if I was looking into a mirror.

I gently touched the paper, being extra careful so I did not smudge the carefully done shading.

I was both amazed and honored at the same time that Marik would consider me enough of a friend to draw me along with Ishizu and Odion.

He had drawn several portraits of me, each one having me smiling brightly with a lively look on my face.

My smile had grown by the time I reached the end of the sketchbook and I closed it slowly. I would have to tell Marik how much I appreciated him drawing me and say how wonderful they were. I _had_ to convince him to try selling some of his art; there was no way he would fail at bringing in a small income that way.

I was just about ready to put the books back when I noticed a smaller one that had escaped my attention earlier.

It was about half the size of the others and was a deep colored blue with small white swirls intertwining with each other on its cover.

I reached in slowly and picked it up. Why hadn't Marik showed me this one with the others? I thought for a moment that it could be a new one, since his others were almost completely full. That thought vanished though when I saw the thorough wear on the cover and spine. If anything, this was the oldest of all the books.

I brushed my hand across the cover, thinking twice about whether or not I should look at it. After all, Marik had chosen to keep it hidden from me when he got the others out the first time.

I chewed on my lip a bit before deciding to look through this one as well. It wasn't like Marik would ever find out anyways. Plus, it was a sketchbook; there couldn't be anything bad in a sketchbook right?

I was proven wrong on the first page.

I had to blink several times to make sure I was seeing things correctly. At first I thought they were more sketches of me until I looked more closely.

It wasn't me, it was Bakura.

I could tell by the way his hair shot up in spiky formations and how cold and hard his face and eyes were. Was that what I really looked like when Bakura had been in control? How could Yugi-tachi not notice such a drastic change in my appearance?

I swallowed hard as I went to the next page; there was no turning back now.

The book was filled with a ton of sketches of Bakura. Marik had drawn him doing all sorts of different things, most of them relatively normal, which surprised me. Bakura didn't strike me as normal at all.

I did find a few more fitting Bakura sketches though. Ones with him holding knives or other instruments of torture became more frequent as I got further into the book. Now this was more like the Bakura I knew and loathed.

There were so many pictures of Bakura that it threw me off guard. Marik had told me that he and Bakura had been partners during Battle City and that the Egyptian teen even harbored feelings for the spirit, but this still completely shocked me.

Looking at the Bakura sketches was haunting. It was like I was looking at my sinister twin brother.

I found out, though, that the sketches of Bakura were the least disturbing thing in Marik's secret book.

He also had written things that were both worrisome and disturbing. Haunting poetry about emptiness and darkness along with scary sketches of himself being consumed by darkness. He wrote about shadows claiming his soul and leaving an empty shell to the world.

I was really starting to get worried about Marik's well being.

Other pages were filled with nothing but one word, 'empty', repeated over and over again until the entire page had been filled up completely.

It was now that I was beginning to feel a little afraid of Marik.

I had no idea that he was feeling this sort of thing inside, not the way he bounced around my apartment, chattering away about anything and everything he could think of.

Was Marik really that unstable that he felt the urge to draw and write such disturbing things? What if he snapped again like everyone said he did in Battle City? That couldn't happen though could it? His dark half had already returned with his own body along with a strange fascination with my hair.

I wrinkled my nose and turned the page again and saw that we were back to sketches of Bakura.

These drawings of him were different than the others but equally as shocking.

This time Marik had included himself in the pictures alongside Bakura, and they were…kissing.

I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around what I was seeing.

There were several pages dedicated to this sort of thing. There were ones of Marik and Bakura kissing or them holding each other and looking into one another's eyes with soft looks. There was even one with them lying in bed together, holding each other closely and lovingly.

I was in shock; this was so completely different than the disturbing things on the previous pages that I almost wondered if it was even the same person drawing. Of course I knew it was still Marik's work, but it threw me off guard to see such a drastic change in art.

The last picture in the book was one of Bakura, alone and shirtless, gazing out at the viewer with a look filled with lust and longing.

I felt frozen under his gaze; it was just so damn realistic. I could almost hear Bakura laughing in my head and taunting me about admiring his body. I growled to myself, no not his body _mine_!

I slammed the sketchbook shut and glared heavily at the cover. I was completely shaken up and felt a bit afraid as well. I really thought I had known Marik, but this little blue book had changed all of that.

I shakily put all the sketchbooks back into the box and carefully placed it back in the closet before making my way back to the bed. What was I going to do about this? I couldn't go up to Marik and say 'Hey Marik, I was snooping through your things and I found you secret sketchbook. Some of the things in there really worried me and I think that maybe you should see a therapist about the whole 'shadows claiming your soul' thing. Kay thanks!'

I ran my fingers through my hair as best I could with my wrists bound together. I was at a complete loss as to what I should do. I really didn't want to come home one day and find Marik dead on my floor or covered in blood because he had completely lost it. Though I guess that wasn't really a concern now that we were constantly being watched by our crazy alter egos.

I groaned in frustration and wondered what was going to happen now.

My best friend was completely crazy and love sick over the insane spirit of an Egyptian tomb robber who took over my body against my will from time to time. Oh and even better was that said tomb robber was now back from whatever pit the pharaoh cast him into and with his own body to boot! I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

It was only a matter of time before I lost my sanity too.

And I will be damned if at the moment I wasn't looking forward to it.


	8. Plans

Author's Notes: Chapter 8 is here already! I seem to have trouble waiting to update my chapters XD Lucky for you guys! Well class starts for me tomorrow so I am not certain how it will effect my writing schedule. I really hope not that much but we shall see. Anyways, this chapter bothered me a little bit, something just seems off with it. I hope its okay for you guys tho! Do enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 8: Plans**

**Mokuba's POV**

I growled in frustration and slammed my hands down on the desk, "None of this even makes sense! I don't understand how anyone can be so utterly clueless about computers when we live in a world surrounded by them!"

These past few days I had taken on a massive workload in order to lighten up the amount of work Seto had to do. I wasn't real sure how well my idea was working but at least I was making an attempt to help.

I rubbed my temples, the report I was reading was completely messed up format wise. The person who typed this up clearly had no idea about the function of the shift key.

A light chuckle brought me out of my tirade, "I can fix that if you want me to."

I looked at the small box in the corner of my screen where Noah leaned casually against the edge of the little window.

"It's really okay Noah, I just get so frustrated when we hire people who have no clue how to run a computer and yet they expect to make it through the ranks of the most profitable gaming company in the world." I ran my fingers through my hair and resisted the urge to punch my laptop.

"Why don't you take a break? You're starting to act like Seto with this incessant urge to work all hours of the day." Noah fixed me with a slightly concerned look.

I met his eyes and sighed, "I guess you're right." I leaned back into my chair and took in a deep relaxing breath.

It had taken me awhile to get over the initial shock of seeing Noah on my computer screen those few weeks ago but once I had calmed down things had gone quite well.

_I thought I was seeing and hearing things at first. I just stared at my computer screen for several moments before trying my hand at speaking without stuttering._

"_Noah…you're really here!"_

_He nodded and smiled, "Yes I am."_

_I shook my head, "B…but how?"_

_He seemed very excited to see me. His eyes were shining with what looked to be pure happiness, "I was able to escape through a 'back door' as they call them. I had a backup system set in place and I was able to escape to it before the base blew up."_

_I let out a little laugh of relief, "I just…wow. Why didn't you come back earlier? It's been two years Noah."_

_He paused for a moment, "Two years? Really? Wow, I didn't think it had been that long, though you don't really notice the passing of time in cyberspace."_

"_I guess you wouldn't." I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. I thought that if I blinked he would disappear._

"_Anyways, as I was saying. It took me forever to get to you because I had to hack through the KaibaCorp security system in order to gain access to your computer. Your security system is top notch. I will give Seto that much credit."_

_I smiled at that and ran my fingers through my bangs. I just couldn't believe it, Noah really had escaped! "I'm really glad to see you Noah; I really thought you were a goner."_

_Noah gave me a knowing smile, "You underestimate my will to survive Mokuba. I told you I would be back didn't I?"_

_I had to shake my head and let out a small laugh, "Yeah you did."_

"_I don't lie. Well…not anymore." He grinned and I had to laugh again. I couldn't believe it. Just a few minutes earlier I was thinking about how I had lost Noah before I got to really know him and here he was!" _

_Things were really starting to look up again._

"You sure your alright Mokuba? You look sort of dazed."

I blinked a few times before turning my attention back to the screen. "Yeah Noah I'm fine. I just got lost in thought for a few moments."

He nodded, "Why don't you go lie down for awhile and let me sort through these files."

I thought about that for a moment before deciding that it sounded like a pretty good idea. "Alright, thanks. You sure you don't mind doing this for me?"

"Not at all, go on and rest. I don't have anything better to do with my time."

I felt guilty about that but there was nothing I could do about it, at least not yet. I smiled and stood up, "Okay Noah. I will talk to you later then."

"See you Mokuba." The screen went blank and I stretched my arms and legs.

Yawning I made my way back to my bed, the day's events running through my head. Satisfied that I had done enough work for the day I crawled in between my covers and laid my head on the soft pillow for a nice long nap. I just hoped things would continue to go on being peaceful and uneventful.

Of course, that sort of thing never happens in real life.

* * *

**Marik's POV**

Okay, I was really beginning to get sick of being tied up.

I made a face as Bakura roughly tied my hands behind my back and walked me out to the living room where Mariku and Ryou were.

Ryou was on the couch staring intently at my darker half. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of glaring contest at the moment.

I let out an embarrassing squeaking noise when I was unceremoniously tossed on the couch beside Ryou, causing him to break eye contact with Mariku.

Bakura only rolled his eyes and moved front and center. "Okay, so we have been here for over a month now and we still only have three millennium items."

Three? That was news to me. I looked at Ryou but he just had this bored expression on his face. I think he was as sick of this bullshit as I was. That and I think he was so used to Bakura ranting in his head about collecting all seven of the millennium items that it no longer phased him in the least.

Anything was better than the usual weird looks I had been getting from him as of late.

For some reason, ever since that day Ryou and I had been locked in each other's rooms for an entire day he had been acting really funny. I would glance in his direction and he would be giving me these strange looks laced with what seemed to be concern and even a little bit of fear. I had asked him about it but he would shake his head and tell me I was reading into things that weren't even there. Maybe he was right, but whatever the looks really meant, they were slightly unnerving.

I was shaken from my internal thoughts by Bakura.

"I will no longer sit around and babysit you two while the other four items are out there waiting for me to take them!" He held the millennium ring in his hand and stared at it intently before looking back to us, "That is why we are splitting up and going out and getting them."

Ryou cocked an eyebrow, "And by 'splitting up' you mean?"

Bakura scowled, "I mean," he grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet, "That Marik and I are going to Egypt to get the millennium necklace from his sister and Mariku and you are going to stay here and make yourselves useful by trying to find any leads on the scales and key."

I about lost it, "No! No no no! We are not going to Egypt!"

Bakura fixed me with a glare, but I was so used to them by now that I let it slide right by, "We are not going to Egypt Bakura! This is insanity!" I tried to gesture with my hands but with them tied I could only shake my shoulders, "My sister will never give you the necklace!"

"Then I will just take it from her."

I felt myself begin to shake in anger, "I won't let you do this Bakura!"

He smirked, "Okay Marik, do tell how you are going to stop me."

I bit my cheek and glared hard at him.

"I thought so." He turned to Mariku, "You think you can handle my host for awhile?"

Mariku gave a wicked grin and twirled the millennium rod, "He won't be a problem."

I heard Ryou give a low growl from the couch, "We'll see about that."

Mariku only chuckled.

"Alright Marik lets go." He began dragging me to my bedroom. "Pack your things, the plane leaves in a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours? Are you completely off your rocker?" I could not believe this was really happening.

Suddenly what he said hit me, a plane, we were flying to Egypt.

"Bakura I can't fly."

He gave me a look as he cut the rope binding my hands and pushed me into my room, "And that is why we are taking a plane Marik."

"No! That's not what I meant." I looked at him with a pleading look in my eyes, "Bakura, I have an immense fear of flying. I seriously have a major anxiety episode every time I fly which is why I bought a yacht!"

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Marik, I bought these tickets already-"

"You mean you stole them."

Bakura scoffed, "No Marik, I actually bought these. So therefore we are going to use them. Now get packing."

I gave him one last pathetic look and he answered me by pointing to an open suitcase on my bed.

Sighing I went to my closet and began going through my clothes and other various things I would need.

This was going to suck. Hard.

**Ryou's POV**

I watched as Bakura took Marik back to his bedroom with unease. When they were out of sight, I turned my gaze to Mariku.

He was lounging in the recliner at an angle, his feet hanging over the side and he was giving me that damn infuriating look.

"Can't you sit in the chair like a normal human being?" I wanted so bad to cross my arms but I couldn't with my hands tied.

"I can."

I felt like screaming. He and his damn simplistic answers made me want to strangle something.

"You are so infuriating!" I gave him my best glare. "And why the FUCK do you keep STARING at me?"

"I thought we already had this conversation once before my fluffy one."

Another thing I hated was that damn nickname he adopted for me. I was not fluffy and I most certainly was not his!

My hands were shaking with unspent anger, if only I could punch him in the face and take that knowing smirk right off of it.

" I am _not_ fluffy!"

He laughed, "Oh yes you are." He rolled out of the chair with a feline-like grace and approached me.

I struggled to pull back; I knew exactly where this was going.

He grinned and reached out and entangled his fingers in my hair and gripped, "Your hair is very _very_ fluffy little light."

I growled and tried to pull back but he had my hair tightly in his grasp.

"It's so soft, and such a bright shade of white." He grinned and got eye to eye with me, "And so…fluffy."

I finally couldn't take it anymore. "Get out of my FACE!" At the last word I head butted him as hard as I could and yelped in pain as our heads made contact.

Mariku made a surprised yelp and fell off the couch, unfortunately for me though he didn't let go of my hair and I toppled to the floor with him.

"What the bloody hell is going on out here?" Bakura was standing in the hallway staring at us with a look of frustration and slight intrigue on his face.

It was then I realized the very awkward position Mariku and I were in and how it must of looked to Bakura. I swallowed hard;I was laying on top of Mariku with my face flat against his collar bone, our chests lined up perfectly.

Of course that wasn't the only part of our anatomy that perfectly lined up.

Mariku chuckled and I felt his hand grip my ass, "Just taking your light for a test drive."

My eyes widened and I rolled away rapidly, "What the bloody-ARGH" I collided with the coffee table positioned in front of the couch and I gave out a cry of pain and frustration.

I swallowed hard and panted rapidly looking at Mariku who was giving the grin he reserved just for me. I found my heart racing, not only because Mariku had touched me where no other person had ever touched me before, but also because a part of me actually didn't mind it.

"D…don't touch me there!"

Mariku smirked, "Oh so that's the only place that's off limits? Good."

"ARGH NO! Do not EVER touch me _anywhere_ EVER!" I struggled to my feet as Bakura laughed in the background.

Mariku once again rolled gracefully to his feet and took several menacing steps towards me.

I squeaked in fear and moved backwards several steps before tripping over the damn coffee table again.

I hit the ground harder than I expected since I couldn't use my hands to control my fall. I cried out in immense pain as my tailbone hit my left wrist and pain shot up my entire left arm.

Mariku looked down at me with a puzzled expression and Bakura laughed again as Marik came out with his suitcase.

I saw Marik's eyes widen in worry and he came rushing over to me, "Are you okay Ryou?"

I was whimpering slightly and managed to roll to my side to take the pressure off of my wrist, "I…I don't know, my wrist hurts really badly." I groaned. This was just my sort of luck.

Marik glared at Bakura, "Cut the ropes, I think he broke his wrist."

Bakura merely scowled at him, "Maybe if my host wasn't such a clutz he wouldn't have a broken wrist."

Mariku shocked me by unsheathing the rods dagger and using it to cut my wrists free, "Are you okay fluffy?"

I was in too much pain to get pissed at his pet name; instead I decided to test out my wrist. A strange tingling sensation had begun in my fingers and moved up to my wrist and the entire joint felt heavy. I tried to move it and hissed when all I accomplished was increasing the sharp pain, "I think I need to go to the hospital."

Mariku frowned, "Hospital?"

I gave an exasperated sigh, "Yes Mariku, the hospital."

"Well you two are going to have to go on your own." I looked at Bakura who had his arms crossed, "Our plane leaves in 2 hours and we really can't be wasting time at the hospital."

Marik gave him a glare, "Bakura honestly! You can't leave him to go to the ER with my darker half!"

Bakura shrugged, "He doesn't have any choice. Now let's go Marik, we have a plane to catch." He roughly grabbed Marik's arm and my car keys, "Good luck Landlord. You're going to need it." With those encouraging words he went out the door dragging Marik behind him.

Mariku was looking at me with a funny look on his face, "Why do you have to go to the hospital?"

I looked down at my left wrist which was now swollen and beginning to bruise, "My wrist is probably broken." I sighed and cradled it gently against my chest. "We should probably go now; it's a pretty far walk."

Mariku cocked his head, "Why must we walk?"

I grabbed my coat and tried to put it on gently, "Because Bakura took my car and I can't drive Marik's motorcycle. Plus we both can't really ride on it, especially with my wrist." After several failed attempts to put on my jacket I threw it on the couch and opened the door.

Mariku was behind me in an instant, "Does it hurt?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes it does." I locked the door behind us and began walking towards the hospital.

I could feel Mariku following right on my heels like a silent shadow. It had been like this every time I went out since Bakura and he arrived so I was used to it by now. I knew that Mariku was more interested in what was going around him than what I was doing.

That still didn't mean it wasn't unnerving as hell. I just could not understand Marik's darker half. He was a constant enigma to me. One moment he was infuriating and annoying beyond reason and the next he acted like a curious child. I had yet to see him act bat-shit insane like Marik said he truly was and I was hoping that maybe he was over that particular emotion.

Just because I hadn't seen him lose it doesn't mean I still wasn't afraid of him. I learned one day that Mariku was serious about keeping me captive.

_We were walking to the store for a food run when I decided to test the line with Mariku. He didn't seem too bad so far and I was feeling lucky. We were close to the Kame Game Shop and if I could make it inside and yell for Yugi then I could end this whole mess once and for all._

_Once I made up my mind I ran for the street._

_I didn't make it more than a few steps before I felt my entire body freeze up and the familiar sensation of my mind drifting into a fog come over me._

_Mariku was suddenly behind me and I felt the millennium rods sharp edge digging into my back._

"_That was not a smart thing to do Ryou."_

_He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back to the sidewalk, "I wouldn't try to do that again, understand?" He dug the rods blade deeper into my back._

_I could only nod._

"_Good."_

_I felt as my body was released and the internal fog cleared from my mind._

"_Now move." He jabbed the rod into my back again and I whimpered and walked on. I guess running from Mariku wasn't such a viable option anymore._

I snapped back to reality as we approached the hospital doors.

I took in a deep breath and walked inside with Mariku following directly behind me. This was going to be an interesting visit to say the least.


	9. Changes

Author's Notes: Wow I actually waited til the actual day to update! Surprise there. It was hard though trust me. Anyways! I enjoyed writing this chapter and a lot of stuff happens so it's longer than my others. Thanks to all of you who gave me such wonderful reviews! I had never anticipated getting this much positive attention and I thank you all! A special shout out to Candice since you review as anonymous I can't reply to you like I do the others. So I want to thank you for your reviews! You and all my other reviewers get virtual cookies shaped like Mariku and Bakura. Enjoy! Now! Onto the chapter!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 9: Changes**

**Seto's POV**

I wearily dragged myself through KaibaCorp Headquarters towards the main conference room. I felt as though the life had been slowly and painstakingly drained from my body.

I had never felt as tired as I have in these past few weeks. I found that it was near impossible to get out of bed in the mornings and I had a near constant sore throat.

I grumbled and told myself to suck it up, I would be fine.

I walked into the conference room and all eyes turned to me, "Hn let's get this underway." I grumbled and walked to my seat at the head of the table.

The meeting dragged on and on, each member of the board complaining about something or other. I couldn't find it in myself to pay attention at all. My eyes kept threatening to close and I had to pinch myself several times in order to wake up.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

I looked up with a glare, "What?"

The older man flinched under my gaze, "I uh, asked whether or not you thought that was a good idea."

I rubbed my temples, "Sure whatever." Swallowing hard I looked around, "Listen I am going to have to end this meeting early and reschedule it for a later date." I stood and wobbled on my feet.

The men looked at each other in shock; I had never before ended a meeting early.

"Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have somewhere else I need to be." I shakily began to walk towards the door. If I could just take an hour long nap I would be fine.

Unfortunately I had overestimated my body's ability to make it to my bedroom.

I was able to take one more step before my legs gave out beneath me and I collapsed to the floor.

I fell hard and the air was violently knocked from my lungs. I gasped as I felt a sharp pain swell in the left side of my abdomen and my vision threatened to black out.

"Mr. Kaiba!" Suddenly I was surrounded by people calling my name and asking if I was alright.

I took in a shaky breath and gasped in pain when my side disagreed with my deep breathing. I began to wave them away and tried to push myself to a sitting position but was embarrassed when my arms gave out and I ended up back where I started.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

I wanted to tell them not to bother but I found I couldn't even find the energy to speak.

"Mr. Kaiba just relax." The gentle voice of my secretary was a soothing tone among the ruckus caused by my male employee's.

I opened my mouth to tell her to not even bother when I violently coughed and my vision blurred as pain shot through me yet again. I gasped for air and that sent me into another coughing fit, this time the pain became too much and my vision went black and I felt myself drift into a peaceful and painless silence.

* * *

**Marik's POV**

We arrived at the airport without too much hassle. It was only when I got inside that I felt the panic set in.

I began to shake really badly. I was terrified of planes and I had begged Bakura the whole way here to reconsider my offer to take the yacht but it was to no avail.

We were now minutes away from boarding the plane and I was trying every calming breathing technique in the book but to no avail.

Bakura was sitting beside me with his arms crossed across his chest, brooding. "Honestly Marik I don't understand what you're problem is."

I hugged myself tighter, "Trapped on a plane, thousands of feet in the air with no other escape than plummeting to your death. That's my problem."

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Honestly Marik you're severely overreacting."

"How would you know? You've never been on an airplane in your life!"

He gave me a look, "Actually Marik I have. My host traveled by plane quite often and I found them convenient forms of travel."

I grumbled, "Yeah well…it's still a flying death trap."

The announcement came on that our flight was boarding and I gave Bakura one last begging look. He merely scowled and roughly pulled me to my feet. "We're going. Now."

I made a whining noise as Bakura dragged me behind him, "I don't wanna!"

"Too bad!" He jerked my arm and we boarded the plane.

"Bakura!" I tried to pull away from him as he slowly tugged me along to our seats. "I am serious! These things crash all the time! I don't know what's worse to crash into, water or land! Regardless we would die either way! I don't want to die Bakuraaaa!"

"Honestly Marik, quit acting like such a child!" He moved to our seats and roughly pushed me in then pulled me down with him as he sat.

I slowly turned to the side and freaked out.

"Honest to Ra! What is it _now_ Marik?"

I pointed frantically at the window, "I can't sit by the window! I don't want to see us crashing to our certain death!"

Bakura gave an exasperated sigh and stood up so I could switch with him, "That better?"

I nodded and pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them, "A little bit."

He rubbed his temples, "I am beginning to think that maybe we should have taken your blasted yacht."

"Well it's a little late now Bakura!" I practically shrieked and buried my head against my knees.

I could hear him give an exasperated sigh, "Marik, we are not going to die. Trust me this plane crashing should be the least of your worries."

"And why is that." I looked up at him.

He gave me a cruel smirk, "Your stuck with me remember."

"Gee that's _so_ comforting." I rolled my eyes.

"Think of the bright side Marik. If we do start plummeting to certain damnation, then I will kill you quickly before we crash and save you from a fiery demise." He gave a cheerfully creepy smile and patted me on the back.

I groaned and buried my face again.

It was official; I was on the flight to my death with only a deranged tomb robber to keep me company.

Swell.

* * *

**Mokuba's POV**

I laughed as Yugi grinned goofily after Joey spilled soda all down the front of his shirt.

He made a face and gave us a half-hearted glare, "Aw come on you guys! It's not funny!"

I was thoroughly enjoying my own personal day off. Yugi had called earlier and asked if I wanted to join him and Joey for a day out. I accepted and suggested Kaiba Land since I could get us everything for free.

So that's where we were right now, sitting in the Kaiba Café, watching Joey make a mess out of his clothes.

I shook my head and handed Joey a bunch of napkins, "Here Joey, though I don't know how much help they will be!" I laughed more.

Joey rolled his eyes and took the napkins, "Thanks Mokuba." He began wiping up the mess as best he could.

Yugi smiled at me, "I am glad you could come and join us Mokuba, it's been really great!"

"Well thanks for inviting me Yugi, I really appreciate it. It's been a long time since I really got out and enjoyed myself."

"Well we were glad to have ya along Mokuba! We don't want ya to end up like your brother and work yourself into the grave." Joey grinned and threw away the napkins.

I tried to hide the hurt on my face, but you couldn't hide anything from Yugi.

"Is something wrong Mokuba?" Yugi was looking at me with concern in his eyes.

I sighed, "Not really, it's just -"

I was cut off by my phone ringing. "Oh hold on a second Yugi."

I pulled my phone out and looked at the number. "Huh…I don't recognize this number." I looked at Yugi and he shrugged, "You should probably answer it and see who it could be. Might be a business associate of your brother's."

Yugi was right; I really needed to program all of Seto's business partners into my phone. It would make life so much easier. I clicked the answer button and held the phone to my ear, "Hello?"

"_Is this Mr. Mokuba Kaiba?_"

"Uh yeah?" I gave Yugi a puzzled look, "This is he speaking. How can I help you?"

"_Mr. Kaiba I am calling from Domino hospital to inform you that your brother has just been admitted and we ask that you come down here as soon as possible_."

I couldn't believe my ears; I had to be hearing things, "…My brother?"

"_Yes sir, Seto Kaiba was just admitted several minutes ago. I was told he collapsed at a business meeting and was brought in by ambulance immediately afterwards_."

I swallowed hard, "…Is he okay?"

I glanced up to see that Yugi had gone very still and Joey was looking at me with a look of confusion.

"_I don't know his condition as of now sir. I was just told to call and inform you of what happened. His situation seemed pretty dire so I think you should come immediately_."

I took in a deep breath and tried not to let my voice betray my immense fear.

"Of course, I'll be right there." I hung the phone up, my eyes beginning to burn with unspent tears even though I fought it hard.

"What's going on Mokuba?"

"I…I have to go Yugi. My brother is in the hospital." I shakily put my phone in my pocket and stood up. The hospital was just a few blocks away and I could get there fast by running.

"I'm coming with you." Yugi stood up and began to follow me and I almost told him not to bother, but I knew how stubborn Yugi could be. So instead I gave him an appreciative smile and nodded.

Joey looked torn about what to do, "I'll uh, take the car home, give me a call when you find anything out okay?"

Yugi gave him a quick nod of his head, "We will."

And with that we broke into a run towards the hospital.

My thoughts raced the whole way there. What could have happened to my brother? The man had said dire. Did that mean this was worse than a simple case of exhaustion?

We finally reached the hospital after what seemed like forever and I ran through the automatic doors and up to the reception desk.

"Seto Kaiba! Where is he?"

The nurse looked up in shock, "Oh Mr. Kaiba!" Her look turned sympathetic and I felt my stomach drop.

"Your brother needs emergency surgery and is being prepped as we speak. I'm sorry."

I began to shake and I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder as Yugi caught up to me.

"I need to see him." I swallowed hard and bit back some of that stubborn pride I inherited from Seto, "Please?"

The nurse seemed to think about it for a moment but then she stood and beckoned me to follow.

I looked to Yugi and he nodded encouragingly, "I will wait for you out here okay? I will get us some coffee."

"Okay Yugi, thank you." I smiled weakly and followed the nurse into the ER.

She walked me into a small room and pointed to the back, "Back there, behind the curtain. Now remember that he is sedated so he may not be very aware."

"Thank you." I swallowed hard as she nodded and left the room.

I squared my shoulders and put on a brave face as I walked through the curtain and up to Seto's bed.

I trembled slightly as he turned his head to look at me. His eyes were dark and ringed with fatigue, and his skin was so pale he looked like a mere phantom of his former self.

"Seto…" I practically gasped his name and gathered his one hand in mine, "Oh Seto…"

Even in such a poor condition he managed to scoff and roll his eyes, "Mokuba, its okay."

I reined in my anger and composed my face, untamed emotions would only make this situation worse, "I sure do hope so Seto…" I bit my cheek to keep my face in check and my fear toned down.

At his exasperated look I gave a stern stare in return, "Nii-sama, this is serious. You're in the hospital!"

"That fact is glaringly obvious…" He winced and gripped the sheets as he fell into a slight coughing fit.

"Please…Seto…just relax okay?" I squeezed his hand tightly, but not too hard. I was afraid of hurting him in this condition, but I would never tell him that of course.

"Mokuba, I am going to be fine." He cleared his throat and winced as he swallowed, "There is no reason to worry."

"No reason…Seto…."I took in a deep breath and decided not to start a fight. A stressful confrontation with me right before a major operation was not going to help him any. "Sorry Nii-Sama. I just got worried is all. I just want you to relax and listen to what the doctors say okay?"

He gave another roll of his eyes but didn't speak. I knew the sedatives had to be taking effect for him not to fight me on that one.

"Thank you Seto." I kissed the top of his hand as he closed his eyes and let out a soft breath.

"I trust you to keep KaibaCorp running while I am here Mokuba." He opened his eyes partly and fixed me with a trusting gaze.

"You can count on me Seto. I promise." I smiled reassuringly and he returned it and nodded before closing his eyes again.

I had to shake my head; Seto still had his company in mind even when he was half-unconscious and pumped full of drugs. I couldn't figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

I heard a knock on the door and looked up to see the nurse leaning against the doorway. I held up a one finger to let her know I would be out in a second and turned back to my brother.

"I have to go now Nii-Sama." I gave his hand a final squeeze before letting go. "Just relax and let the doctors do their job without giving them any hassle okay?"

I saw a small smile grace his lips, "I'll try."

I shook my head smirking, "That's all I can ask for then. I love you Seto. I'll be here when you wake up."

He nodded, "I love you too Mokuba."

I inhaled sharply to keep the tears from coming and walked out quickly.

I could really use some of that coffee Yugi was getting.

* * *

**Ryou's POV**

I sighed as we walked through the door into my now empty house with a cast on my wrist. Mariku pushed past me and plopped down on the couch and began going through his pockets.

I raised my eyebrows, "What are you doing?"

He then began pulling a wide variety of small hospital equipment from the large pockets on his cargo pants, "Look at all these things I found Fluffy." He grinned and pulled out a thermometer, the kind that the nurse puts in your ear to check the temperature. "What do you suppose this is for?"

I found myself instantly horrified, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

He gave me the look he usually did when I asked him something that should be obvious, "I'm going through my stash."

I took in a deep breath to calm myself, "Mariku, you cannot just help yourself to anything you see!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's wrong!" I threw my hands up in the air and headed to the kitchen, "I'm going to make some tea."

At his lack of response I assumed that he had otherwise entertained himself, which was fine by me. As long as he wasn't wreaking havoc on my house then he could do whatever he pleased with his stolen goods.

"What is this contraption used for? Is it some sort of torture device?"

I took in a deep breath and let it out very slowly and turned around, "Oh you have got to be kidding me!"

Mariku was looking curiously at a blood pressure cuff, "This could be useful in amputating limbs." He grinned up at me, "What do you think Fluff? Shall we try it out later?"

I clenched my hands into fists, "It's used for taking people's blood pressure! And _no_ you cannot use it to help amputate limbs!" I threw my hands up in the air, "Why can't you steal pens like everyone else?"

He gave me a sly grin, "I got those too." He reached into a back pocket and pulled out a handful of pens, "Want some?"

"NO! I don't want any bloody pens! Argh!" I turned and went back into the kitchen, "I thought I just had to handle Bakura stealing random things, not you too!" I groaned and put the water on to boil.

I watched the water intently, trying to let my mind wander and escape from this place for just a little while.

Mariku evidently had other plans for me.

I felt something hit me on the back of the head and I heard the item fall and bounce onto the floor. I turned slowly and looking down I saw one of the hospital pens. I turned to look into the living room and Mariku was grinning devilishly at me, armed with several more pens in his hand.

"Don't you even think about it!"

I squeaked as another pen hit me square on the forehead.

Okay, I was really realllly starting to get fed up with Marik's deranged alter-ego.

"You act just like a petulant child you know!" I ducked as another pen went soaring in my direction.

Mariku laughed, "And you make such funny sounds!" He twirled another pen and launched it at me.

I reached up and grabbed a frying pan off the rack and used it as a shield to block the pen, "Stop it!"

Mariku answered me by moving further into the kitchen and tossing another pen at me.

This time I was ready for it and I swung the pan and sent the pen flying back at him.

Mariku's eyes widened and he ducked and rolled behind the kitchen's island just in time to miss a pen to the eye.

I crouched low and held the pan over my shoulder like a baseball bat, "Seriously? Can you not act normal for, oh I don't know, one day?"

My answer was in the form of another pen soaring over the island and hitting me on the top of the head.

Okay, that did it.

"ARGH!" I ran and jumped up onto the island and prepared to give Mariku the beating of a lifetime.

I blinked in surprise as I noticed Mariku wasn't where he was supposed to be.

I squealed as I was collided into from behind and both Mariku and I went crashing to the floor.

My left wrist flared in pain and I growled swinging the pan at Mariku's head.

Mariku rolled to the side and grabbed my good wrist, effectively stopping my assault. I yanked my hand back but he held firm and pulled me towards him.

I let myself go limp as I fell into him, becoming dead weight. Mariku didn't anticipate this and fell backwards and we ended up in the exact same awkward position as we had earlier.

"Don't you even _think_ about grabbing my ass again!" I scrambled to my feet before he could touch me in any provocative way.

Mariku just stared up at me with a wicked grin on his face. Bastard was enjoying this way too much.

"I just want to sit down and enjoy my tea in relative silence. You think you could let me have that much?"

Mariku rolled to his feet and walked over to me.

I picked up the steaming tea pot and held it semi-threateningly, "Don't come any closer! I mean it!"

He surprised me by pausing, crossing his arms, and cocking an eyebrow.

"Just let me drink me tea in peace okay? Is that really so much to ask?"

Mariku smirked, "I suppose not."

I watched his every movement as I poured the water into a cup, "Would you like some?" Maybe I would get lucky and the stimulant in the tea would react with whatever part in his brain was hyperactive and short it out. And really, he was already beyond annoying, it couldn't get any worse.

Mariku stared at the water then at me, "Okay."

I nodded and prepared two cups of tea, "It's hot so don't burn yourself. Actually on second thought, I take that back, I don't care what you do just don't spill it."

I walked into the living room with the hyperactive Yami in tow and I sat down on the couch.

Mariku walked to his recliner and perched in it like some sort of predatory bird clutching his tea like fresh caught prey.

I tried to ignore him and took a small sip of my tea after blowing on it to cool down.

I jumped in surprised as I heard glass clink together and turned to see Mariku licking his lips and setting the empty tea cup down.

I swallowed hard as he gave me a sadistic grin.

I was about to learn that giving Marik's psychotic dark half tea and sugar was an _extremely_ bad idea.


	10. Surprises

Author's Notes: Here we go! The next chapter of Unreal Truths. This was another fun one to write! Anyways now for the important thing. I have an internet cap on my usage, so my updating schedule may not be as steady as it has been. I don't know. It all depends. Because of this, chapter 11 may be posted tonight as well. Thank you for your patience and all your reviews! Now enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 10: Surprises**

**Mokuba's POV**

I walked into KaibaCorp headquarters dragging my feet and wiping my eyes tiredly. I had been at the hospital almost the entire day waiting for Seto to get out of surgery. When the nurse came out to tell me that he was in recovery, Yugi convinced me to go home and take a nap and that he would call when Seto woke up.

I really didn't want to leave my brother's bedside but I really needed my rest. That and KaibaCorp wasn't going to run itself.

I sighed as I took the elevator up to Seto's office and logged into the computer and adjusted some settings.

"Noah?"

The background on the computer flickered out and Noah's image took its place, "I'm here."

"Good." I rubbed my temples and sat down in Seto's desk chair. "I have a huge favor to ask you Noah."

He tilted his head to the side, "I'm all ears."

"Okay. Well. Seto is in the hospital."

Noah's eyes widened in shock, "What happened?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to remember all that the nurse had told me.

"Evidently Seto has had mono for the past few weeks." I bit my lip in frustration. "Instead of going to the doctor like normal people do when they have a sore throat and feel exhausted he just continued to work through it completely wearing himself down in the process. He went to a meeting earlier today and I guess he collapsed when it ended."

I looked at Noah who was still in disbelief.

"The thing that makes mono so dangerous is that your spleen swells up and is prone to rupture if you're not careful. So when Seto collapsed at the meeting he fell on his left side and ruptured his spleen and passed out. The nurse said he came in suffering from major blood loss and had to have immediate surgery." I took in a deep breath, "The doctor said they ended having to remove his spleen and give him a blood transfusion."

I looked at Noah, "That's why I need you. Seto is out of commission so it's up to me to run KaibaCorp. I'd like to think I can do it alone, but things would go a lot smoother if I had some help." I smiled at him.

Noah blinked a few times, "Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"

"Noah, I want you to help me run KaibaCorp while Seto is sick."

A genuine smile came to his face and his eyes lit up, "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

**Ryou's POV**

Okay, I learned my lesson. Never ever _ever_ give Mariku any sort of stimulant whatsoever.

I was currently hiding in my closet holding a broken off mop handle as a weapon.

After consuming his tea within five seconds of getting it, the Egyptian Yami had decided he wanted a piece of 'his fluffy' as he called me.

Mariku had chased me through the entire house with a kitchen knife screaming about taking some of that, and I quote, 'fluffy white hair of yours'."

I had grabbed the mop from the kitchen closet and hit him over the head with it. He countered by breaking it in half and throwing the mop end into my face.

I had proceeded to scream like a little girl and ran into my bedroom and locked the door.

It was only a matter of time before the psychotic dark half kicked down my door and came after me.

I swallowed hard and hugged my makeshift weapon closer to me. I had deeply underestimated Marik's interpretation of his Yami. I had gotten lax over the past few weeks and now I was severely paying for it.

I took in a deep breath and strained to listen. It had gotten surprisingly quiet and I was beginning to get a little wary. Mariku was wayyy too unpredictable for me to even think that silence meant peace.

I warily cracked the closet door open and looked around my bedroom. Everything seemed normal; the door hadn't been kicked in and everything was still in place. Didn't ease my nerves about what the rest of the house looked like though.

I slowly crept out of the closet, clutching my mop handle tightly, and slowly headed towards the bedroom door. Maybe Mariku had tired himself out. Or maybe he ran into something and knocked himself unconscious. I seriously hoped for that situation as I put my hand on the door knob. If I could get the millennium rod from Mariku then maybe I could reverse this horrid situation I was in.

I eased the door open and poked my head out. I was shocked to see that the house looked relatively fine. Nothing was out of place, save for the few items that I knocked over in my rush for refuge.

I cautiously walked through the hall, holding the mop handle like a spear. Like hell was I going to go down without a fight.

I made it to the living room without any hassle and looked around in confusion. I didn't see Mariku anywhere.

I should have known the moment I lowered my only defense weapon was when he would decide to strike.

I screamed as Mariku dropped from the ceiling. The fucking ceiling! How the hell he got up there and stayed was beyond my comprehension. All I could focus on was the fact that a full grown male had dropped onto my shoulders and took me to the floor.

I groaned in pain and tried to flip him off of me but to no avail.

"I got you now Fluffy." He purred into my ear and stroked the dagger end of the millennium rod against my throat.

I swallowed hard. This was it. He was going to kill me. I was going to die and no one would know until Marik and Bakura returned from their trip from Egypt. And who even knew how long _that_ would take!

I made a squeaking noise as he grabbed me by my shoulders and flipped me over onto my back, "You thought you could hide from me, but I am the master of patience." He scraped the rod's blade along my cheek. "It is true that I am a very _very_ patient being Ryou, but you are the one thing that makes me so _im_patient."

I whimpered as he slid the rod down to my shoulder and dug the blade into my collar bone drawing blood.

"P…please…I…I'll do anything, just don't kill me." I took in a shuddering breath and closed my eyes.

"Kill you?" He chuckled deeply, "I wouldn't kill you my little light." I shuddered and he pressed his chest against mine, "No no, never kill." I gulped and he laughed wildly.

My eyes opened wide when I felt something warm and wet against my skin. I slowly looked down and saw that Mariku had his tongue out lapping up the blood from the cut on my collar bone like a dog.

"I always wanted to know how you tasted Fluffy, and I will say that you did not disappoint."

I was so completely mortified that I had lost all capacity to speak. Mariku was on top of me, licking up _my_ blood like some kind of leech.

Oh yeah, I screamed bloody murder.

"Get OFF OF ME!" I wacked him on top of the head with my cast and he yelped in pain and moved just enough for me to wiggle out from under his grasp.

Ignoring the new flaring of pain in my wrist I once again raced towards the bedroom.

I didn't get very far unfortunately.

The damning familiar sensation of my body freezing up came over me and I stopped just before I reached my bedroom door.

I inhaled deeply as I heard Mariku approach.

"Silly little light. You cannot run from me." He moved in front of me so I could see him. He tapped the millennium rod gently against my forehead and chuckled deeply. "Your mind is mine to take whenever I please. Don't you remember? I do hope I haven't caused you any sort of brain damage." He grinned and took a handful of my hair.

I felt my body release but I couldn't run since Mariku had a nice chunk of my hair firmly in his grasp.

"Why do you shake so little light? I don't mean to frighten you. You know I will not bring you harm." I whimpered as he ran his fingers down my cheek, "Hush now, no need to be so scared."

My eyes widened in shock as I was pushed against the wall and found myself nose to nose with Mariku, "I shall take good care of my fluffy."

My jaw dropped when Mariku smashed his face against mine and took advantage of my surprise as he forced his tongue into my mouth.

I was in too much shock to do anything as he ran his tongue along mine and took every second as opportunity to explore each part of my mouth.

He pulled back just as I was beginning to run out of air. I shivered, my jaw slack with shock and my chest rapidly rising and falling in an attempt to catch breath.

I looked up at Mariku and he grinned and untangled his hand from my hair.

I could not believe that just happened. I felt frozen in place, my entire body tingling. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as Mariku grinned and winked, stepping away and leaving me still pinned against the wall in shock.

"Once again you fail to disappoint me Fluff." He laughed and disappeared into the kitchen.

Once I was sure that I could stand without the support of the wall I gently pushed myself off and stumbled into the bedroom. Somehow I didn't think that Mariku would be bothering me again today.

Falling onto the bed I stared at my ceiling in complete disbelief.

Mariku had kissed me.

I took in a shuddering breath as I realized that a tiny part of me had actually enjoyed it.

* * *

**Seto's POV**

I wearily opened my eyes to a blurred out world.

Or, at least I thought I opened my eyes. At this point I really wasn't too sure.

My entire vision was fuzzy and the room seemed to be distorted. I blinked several times to try and clear my head, but it didn't work.

I tried to move my hand to my head to try and stop the pounding in it but it felt as if my entire body was encased in cement and I barely managed to wiggle my fingers.

Straining my ears I listened to see if I could hear anyone else in my room who had witnessed my struggle, but I only heard the steady beeping of the heart-rate monitor.

Satisfied that no one else was here with me, I once again tried to move my arm.

I managed to move it maybe an inch closer to my body before the task just became too difficult.

What the hell did they do to me?

I closed my eyes and thought back to earlier. What did that nurse say to me? Something about my spleen rupturing; I do remember that much.

I gave a light groan and opened my eyes. How the hell did I manage to rupture my spleen?

Oh right, I have mono.

It was then I heard something move to my right and before I could think twice about the action I had turned my head to look.

Definitely not a smart thing to do.

The room lurched violently and my vision began to go black as I felt myself slip into unconsciousness.

Before the room was completely engulfed in darkness I saw a figure move into my line of sight.

Oh yeah these drugs were definitely messing with my brain.

I managed to force the words out of my mouth before the room disappeared.

"Y…Yugi is that you?"

* * *

I don't know how long I was out for but I didn't feel much better when I opened my eyes for the second time since the operation.

At least now the room didn't look like it was built for a funhouse.

My eyesight was much better, though the edges of my vision were still blurred. Oh well at least I could make out the various pieces of furniture and equipment scattered around.

I swallowed and winced as my entire throat burned. Now I not only go to enjoy the previous soreness from the mono, but I was lucky enough to have my throat even more agitated from having a breathing tube shoved down it.

I sighed, it could be worse I suppose. At least I was breathing on my own.

"Seto?"

If I would have been able, I probably would have jumped straight out of the bed. For now, though, all I could accomplish was _slowly_ turning my head to the sound of the voice, even though I feared what I would see.

"Yami?" I cringed at the sound of my voice. It was very hoarse and soft spoken, not at all helped by the muffling effect of the oxygen mask.

"Hello Seto." He smiled and gently took my hand.

I blinked a few times. There were two things very not right about this.

First, he was touching me.

I looked down to see him gently holding my hand in his, careful not to dislodge any of the various tubes and wires I was disgusted to see that the doctors had jammed in me.

Second, he looked like he had when he was in Yugi's body. Last time Atem had come to visit me, he was in his own body, with vivid ruby colored eyes and bronze skin.

Now though, he was back to looking like an older version of Yugi.

I opened my mouth to say something else but he shook his head, "Don't speak Seto."

For once I listened and closed my mouth; disbelief must have clearly showed on my face because Yami smirked.

"I know you won't believe for a single second that I am actually here."

"No…I don't."

He shook his head, "I didn't figure you would."

"Am I dying?" I didn't really mean to ask the question out loud but it sort of drifted out.

Yami looked taken aback, "Dying? Of course not Seto, you're doing just fine." He began rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. "Why would you think that?"

"You're a spirit."

He blinked then a small smirk crept onto his face, "That may be true, but I am not here to see you off into the afterlife Seto."

I took in a shaky breath and sank into my pillow further, "Then why?"

I knew what his answer would be already but I had to hear it out loud.

He cocked his eyebrow, "You really have to ask that Seto? I am here to see you."

I allowed a small smile to creep on my face and he gave one in return.

"Just had to hear me say it hm?"

I smirked and nodded, "So…" I let my eyes trail his body. "_How_ are you here?"

He smiled and shook his head, "Always wanting explanations Seto."

I cocked an eyebrow and he chuckled.

"Aibou still has the millennium puzzle," Yami touched the golden pyramid hanging from his neck for emphasis. "I found that with it, I could take over his body like I used to when my soul resided inside it. The only difference is that now when he regains control I leave his body and either can manifest beside him or return to the spirit realm."

I stared at him for a few moments, trying to get over the shock of his appearance by my hospital bedside.

"I asked Yugi if he would lend me his body so I could see you and more importantly, touch you." He kissed my hand for emphasis.

I paused, "Yugi knows about us?"

He made a face, "Sort of. He knows you and I are close, but he hasn't questioned it. I don't think he realizes just how close we are." He gave a devilish smirk and I gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Yeah well…we're not exactly close right now."

He laughed lightly and kissed my hand again, "Oh Seto, you haven't changed at all."

I scoffed lightly but the smile didn't leave me face, "Is that so?" Secretly I wondered to myself if was referring to the last time he was in this world or if he was talking about my past incarnation; the priest.

"It is." He stood up and leaned over the bed, gently cupping my face in his hands. "I've missed you so much Seto. Please don't make it so I lose you again."

I swallowed hard and winced as the saliva felt as if was grating against my throat. "Yami-"

"Seto please." I looked up when I heard the almost desperation in his voice. "Don't punish yourself anymore. I am making every effort to make it possible to come back to you. I don't break my promises Seto. I will be back and I will be yours."

I watched as he leaned down and slid the oxygen off my mouth to the side of my face, "Just hold on a little longer. I promise to make it worth the wait."

With that he leaned down and gently brushed his lips against mine before seeking entrance into my mouth with his tongue.

I happily obliged, and let him dominate the kiss since I was too drugged to do anything else.

Yami made a contented noise and continued to re-explore my mouth.

Just as I was about to run out of air he broke it off with a grin. "How was that for an 'I missed you'?"

I smirked and settled back into my pillow and weakly pushed my oxygen mask back into place, "Not bad at all. Though, I am making you explain to Yugi in a few weeks the reason why he has mono."

I couldn't have imagined a better expression on Yami's face in that moment.

"Oops."


	11. Turbulance

Author's Notes: **Important note on updates!** School and work have unfortunately sucked the life out of me. I am by no means giving up on my story but updates will be reduced to once a week unless I get ahead in chapters. If that is the case then I will post my second chapter of the week on Saturdays. I hate to reduce my chapter output but with the combination of school and work I have found it just too hard to write at the pace I used to be. Sorry about that. Hopefully things will get better, but for right now, updates will be limited to every Weds. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry I haven't responded to them lately. Like I said, work and school are eating my life lol. Now, without further ado, here is chapter 11!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 11: Turbulance**

**Marik's POV**

I raced off the plane and out into the hot desert air, "LAND! OH GOD LAND!" I flung myself onto the ground and began kissing it.

Here's a useful tip. When you kiss the ground, make sure it's something other than sand.

I gagged and began to spit the grainy substance from my mouth as Bakura rolled his eyes walking by, "Honest to Ra Marik, you're such a drama queen."

Once I was sure I got all the sand out of my mouth I glared up at Bakura who was standing in front of me tapping his foot. He was putting on a tough act now, but I could see he was still shaken up from the flight.

Evidently all the times Ryou had flown with Bakura residing in him he had never experienced turbulence.

I thought back on the flight with a slight smile on my face.

_I was doing relatively alright at the moment. We hadn't hit any rough spots and if I closed my eyes I could just imagine that I was on my yacht instead of inside a metal box with wings 34,000 feet above ground._

_My relative calm was sadly short lived._

_I was startled out of my imaginary scenery when a 'ding' resounded through the speakers and the seatbelt light came on._

_My stomach dropped._

_The pilot's voice then came over the loudspeaker, 'Attention ladies and gentlemen, we're going to be hitting some rough air so please fasten your seatbelts and stay seated. Thank you."_

_The intercom clicked off and I found the sudden urge to giggle madly._

"_Heh….hehehe….hehehehe."_

_Bakura gave me strange look and it only caused me to giggle harder._

"_Marik…What, dare I ask, is so funny?"_

_I looked at Bakura with a huge grin on my face, "Hehe, did you hear that Bakura? We're going to hit rough air." I giggled more. "Rough air!"_

"_Yes Marik I heard…" He crossed his arms. "I seriously don't see why-ARGH"_

_We had officially hit rough air._

_Bakura yelped and grabbed the armrests tightly, "What the fuck is going on?"_

_I looked at him and gave him a stupid grin._

"_Rough air Bakura!" I went into another giggle fit._

_I was freaking out and giggling at the same time. I was completely convinced I was going to die so everything seemed funny at the moment. Is that what normally happened before you died? Maybe I was losing my sanity again. Either way I couldn't stop the laughter from coming._

"_What the fuck is your problem?" Bakura gave me a hard glare._

"_We're dying!" I laughed again._

_Bakura growled, "What the-" his sentence was cut off by a scream as the plane hit a really bad batch of turbulence._

_I couldn't help it I burst out into laughter which soon turned into tears. Pretty soon I was nothing but a weeping mess._

_Looking over to Bakura I saw he wasn't in any better shape. His knuckles were white from gripping the arm rests and his face had gone a ghostly pale._

_I snorted and laughed again before dissolving back into tears. It's like my brain couldn't decide which kind of crazy it wanted to be._

_Finally the plane stopped its violent shaking and we were alerted to the fact that we could now get up if and move about the plane we needed to._

_I felt my shoulders sag in relief but I still went into minor giggle fits on and off, both from relief and the after-effects of the crazy mode I just came out of._

_Bakura, on the other hand, looked like he was going to pass out. His eyes were wide and his hands still had their death grip on the seat. _

_I couldn't resist; I poked him. "Bakurraaaa! Guess __**what**__!"_

_He very slowly turned his head to look at me, his eyes shifting back to cold and indifferent._

"_What is it Marik?"_

"_We didn't die." I burst into another giggle fit and snorted, which only made me laugh harder._

_Bakura stared at me for a few more moments then turned away to look out the window. "Marik?"_

_I grinned, "Yes Bakura?"_

"_Shut the fuck up."_

_I blinked and a wave of calm came over me as the whole crazy episode left as soon as it came._

"_Okay."_

_Needless to say we spent the rest of the uneventful flight in silence._

So thanks to that little incident Bakura agreed to find a different way to get home. I had a feeling it meant either spending a massive amount of my secret stash of Rare Hunter cash I was hiding from Ishizu or stealing some poor sap's boat.

As long as we didn't take the flying death trap home I couldn't care less which option he chose.

"Get up Marik; we're going to go visit your siblings."

I scowled at him and slowly got to my feet, "You don't have the millennium rod so I'd like to see you try and force me."

Let me just say that Japan _really_ needs to update their airport security.

Bakura pulled a knife from within his coat and grabbed me, holding the blade to my throat.

"Let's try this again shall we? Where are your brother and sister?"

I gulped and looked up into Bakura's eyes which had a murderous edge to them. He wasn't fucking around.

I swallowed hard, thinking about what I should do. Finally I decided I may as well cooperate. After all Bakura had the Millennium Ring, so he would find my sister and the necklace regardless of whether he had my help or not.

"Fine Bakura, I'll take you."

He gave a triumphant smirk and roughly let me go, "Good, now let's go."

I gave him a look, "We're walking?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

I cocked an eyebrow, "Oh I don't know…maybe a _car? _Our house is at least a ten minute drive from here, and in this heat I don't think we would last the nearly twice as long walk."

Bakura gave me a look.

"Egypt _has_ modernized you know. We do know what cars are." I crossed my arms and gestured with my head towards the car rental place.

"Fine but you're paying for it."

"Why am I not at all surprised?" Rolling my eyes I headed over to the rental counter and arranged for us to get a car while Bakura watched me with a cool gaze; probably making sure I wasn't trying to make some sort of sneaky escape.

I signed a paper and the lady handed me a set of keys. Turning to Bakura I held them out to him and he gave me a blank stare in return.

"Well? Aren't you going to take them?"

He looked at the keys in my hand intently, chewing slightly on his bottom lip.

"Is something wrong Bakura?" I tapped my foot impatiently.

He lifted his amethyst gaze to me, "In case you have forgotten tomb keeper, I spent the last 3,000 years trapped inside a golden trinket, and well it may surprise you to hear this, but Zorc and I didn't go cruising around in cars for fun on Sunday afternoons."

I blinked and a slow smirk crawled onto my face, "You don't know how to drive a car?"

"Of course not you dimwit!"

I know this fact should have been obvious, but for some reason the thought of Bakura not knowing how to drive brought me a huge feeling of satisfaction.

"Well then I guess I am driving." I smirked and twirled the key ring on my finger before heading out the door.

Bakura grumbled following behind me as I lead us to the car lot and approached a little blue sedan that had seen better days and unlocked the doors.

Bakura looked from me to the car and then back to me again before walking over to the passenger side door and climbing in.

I ignored his odd behavior and slid into the car myself, pushing the key into the ignition and starting the engine.

"I hope you know that you're not going to just get the necklace handed to you. My brother and sister won't go down without a fight and I won't be helping you out any."

Bakura scoffed, "As if I needed your help anyways."

I gave him a brief look as I pulled out onto the road, "I'm here aren't I?"

"You're here because you're going to make things easier on me, not because I need you."

I wrinkled my nose, "I am not helping you."

Bakura looked at me, "You're driving me to your sister's house."

"Because I am being forced to."

"You're still doing it though."

I scowled, "You're not going to get away with this Bakura. You failed miserably every other time you tried to steal the millennium items and take over the world and you will fail again."

"With no Pharaoh around to stop me I would like to think your chances of being wrong on this one are very high Marik."

I clutched the steering wheel tighter and stared straight ahead. He was right. Ryou and I were the only ones who knew he and Mariku were back and there was no way for us to let anyone else know without risking life or limb.

"Your silence is very reassuring."

I grumbled at the smugness in his voice. "What are you planning on doing with the items once you get all seven? I doubt the plan is the same as it was the last time around."

Bakura seemed to think about whether he wanted to answer me or not before deciding on the former.

"I don't owe you any explanation Marik, but I will tell you this much. The millennium items have enough power individually to do some serious damage. Of course you already knew that." He smirked at me and continued on. "All seven together, then, would give the owner far greater power than any single person who possessed just one. Though I do believe there is more to their magic and the ancient prophecy then your ancestors wanted to let on."

I growled as he ran his hand down my back, "There are more to these carvings then meets the eye and I intend to find out every last detail."

"Don't touch me." I tried to pull away from his grasp without wrecking the car, but he didn't stop.

Bakura tsk'd and went so far as to move his hand under my shirt and run his fingers along my scars. "Oh Marik." He chuckled and continued rubbing my back, "You were so _proud_ of your heritage when I last saw you. After Battle City you seemed to have a true change of heart. I see now that it was all an act wasn't it?" I hissed as he scraped his nails against my spine. "You're still just as bitter and angry now as you were back then _aren't you_?"

"N…no." I swallowed hard. Damnit I didn't want him to know how spot on his comments had been but my stuttering had given my feelings away.

"I knew it." He grinned and pulled his hand away. "It's okay to be angry Marik. You've sacrificed so much for the Pharaoh and he didn't give you so much as a thank you."

"I'm not falling for it Bakura. You will never get me to be on your side."

He continued on as if I had never spoken, "To have to spend your entire life underground, separated from the modern world." He made another tsk'ing noise. "To endure such pain, and carry those awful scars for the rest of your life. Even now you must deal with them, despite the fact that the Pharaoh is gone from this world and no longer needs your servitude."

I bit my lip and fought the watering in my eyes. Bakura had hit a nerve and now he was using it to his advantage.

"It's a damn shame really, such a waste of talents. All those years spent underground, when you could have been in school, learning far better things than how to service an ungrateful Pharaoh."

I felt a tear slip down my cheek and I tried to blink away others that blurred my vision.

"And now here you are. Eighteen years old and not even a high school degree to show for all the hard work you endured and the sacrifices you made."

I bit my lip hard. Bakura was being relentless, but I wasn't going to fall into his trap. "Shut up."

"You're lucky your little Rare Hunter gang made so much money or else you would be shit out of luck wouldn't you? No one would hire an eighteen year old boy who has never had any sort of formal public education whatsoever."

"I said shut the fuck up."

He grinned and continued on, "Come now Marik. I am only speaking the truth. You know this already don't you? You're just angry at me because I am the one voicing what you have been secretly thinking all your life."

I finally couldn't take it anymore.

"I am not going to help you Bakura! I don't care what you say! I know my life is shit so you don't need to point it out to me. I already fucking know!"

Bakura looked taken aback. Of all the reactions he could have gotten from me, I think this one was the last he expected.

"You can't make me feel any shittier about myself! So why don't you just shut the fuck up and get this crap over with." I pulled the car into our driveway and slammed it into park. "Here we are. Have fun."

Bakura was staring at me in shock. His eyes softened for a brief moment before turning dark and he got out of the car and slammed the door.

I cried out in surprise as he came around to my door and ripped it open before dragging me out, "You're coming with me."

I struggled slightly and tried to pull away but Bakura only tightened his grip before marching me up the stairs to the porch.

"Knock."

I glared at him and he squeezed my arm tighter, "Do it."

I gave him a glare and then knocked on the door, praying that no one would answer.

Sadly those prayers went unanswered.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the door open and Odion appeared. I felt Bakura move beside me and I figured it was now or never.

"ODION RUN!" I threw my entire weight into Bakura and we both tumbled to the ground.

There was no way I was going to let Bakura win this easily.

**Bakura's POV**

I gave out a small cry of surprise as I felt Marik slam into me and we tumbled to the ground. As I was trying to dislodge myself from the youngest Ishtar, I heard the door slam and lock.

"Damnit Marik!" I finally managed to shove him off of me and I quickly rose to my feet.

Marik did the same however and threw himself into me again causing us to crash into the door.

I rolled over and turned the young tomb keeper on his back and pinned him there with my arms, "Knock it off!"

"In your dreams Bakura!" He took his knee to my crotch and I gave a surprised grunt as he threw me off.

He gave me a triumphant smirk and scrambled to his feet as I was trying to catch my air.

"Happy hunting asshole." I gave another cry as he kicked me in the stomach and took off running.

Wincing, I slowly got to my feet, shook off the pain and ran to the back of the house after Marik.

I growled in frustration once I got around back.

Marik was already a good distance away and not looking back for anything.

I prepared myself to run after him when I heard the rumble of an engine and I turned to see Odion Ishtar come out of the back of the garage on a motorcycle with Ishizu sitting behind him.

It was then I was faced with a serious choice.

I could attempt to drive the car and go after Ishizu and Odion, and therefore retrieve the millennium necklace.

Or I could chase after Marik.

I cursed softly to myself and looked to the retreating forms of Ishizu and Odion. If I left the millennium necklace to go after Marik, I may not get another chance to get it for a long time.

But, the millennium items would always be around.

Marik would not.

Making my decision I turned on my heel and raced after Marik.

There was no way I was going to let myself lose him a second time around.


	12. Progression

Author's Notes: Not a HUGE fan of this chapter but here it is regardless. We get to see some more progression in deathshipping though! Yay! Not much else to say other than enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 12: Progression**

**Mokuba's POV**

I stared at the documents in front of me with a blank gaze. I had stopped being able to focus almost an hour ago.

I had never felt so exhausted before in my entire life. No wonder Seto was such a stiff.

Yawning, I stretched my arms in the air and wearily closed my eyes. A few moments rest wouldn't hurt anything.

"Mokuba?"

I opened my eyes back up and saw Noah on my computer screen, "Oh hey Noah. You got those reports all taken care of?"

He nodded and leaned back in a virtual chair he made appear. "I got everything taken care of for the next week."

Did I mention there was a huge advantage to having an adoptive brother who lived in your computer?

"Wow thanks Noah, that lightens the load a ton." I rubbed my fingers through my hair and sighed deeply. "It's just too bad that you can't go to the meetings for me too."

Noah chuckled and I joined in, "Really though, it means a lot that you're helping me out."

"I just appreciate you asking." Noah just seemed to glow with an inner happiness that I had never seen before. I was just grateful that I got to be the one to bring it out in him.

"You should really go and take a rest Mokuba. You look completely drained."

"Yeah I think I might do that." I eased myself out of the desk chair and cracked my neck, "I trust you to hold down the fort for me Noah."

He gave a smirk and a mock salute. "Aye aye cap-i-tan."

I rolled my eyes and laughed, slowly making my way out of the home office and towards my bedroom.

I was interrupted from my journey when the doorbell rang.

Giving a weary sigh, I turned around and began heading to the front door. I had given Roland these few days off so I had to do all the mundane things by myself.

The doorbell rang again and I mumbled, "Coming coming!"

I dragged myself to the front door and opened it slowly and was surprised to see who was there to greet me, "Yugi-kun? What are you doing here?" I had been seeing Yugi a lot these past few days since Seto had been in the hospital, but he was the last person I expected to see at my door.

"Hey there Mokuba…Mind if I come in?" Yugi looked a little weary and drained, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"Oh sure! Come on in! You look tired Yugi-kun. Everything okay?"

He nodded and didn't waste any time in plopping down onto my couch. "Yeah I'm fine. I just wanted to check up on you and see how things were going. I know you have to run the company by yourself and I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to ease your burden."

I shook my head. Yugi was as stubborn as my brother when it came to making sure his friends were okay.

"It's really okay Yugi. I am managing rather well. You just caught me between meetings so I swear I look a lot worse than I feel."

He gave me a slightly disbelieving look but conceded anyways, "Alright. I know I am not computer genius or business entrepreneur, but if you need my help for anything just let me know.

"Thanks Yugi." I then had a thought, mulling it over in my head before deciding to speak on it. "To be truthful Yugi, I actually have someone who has helped me a great deal that you already know."

He gave me a questioning glance and I smiled in return, "Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

**Ryou's POV**

I awoke this morning to the sound of dishes breaking.

Groaning I slowly sat up and pushed myself out of bed and made my way out of the bedroom. I was still in a daze and my mind kept replaying the other night's events.

Mariku had actually kissed me.

It was hardly anything relatively close to loving and romantic, and it seemed more like he was doing it to bother me than anything else, but a small part of my brain had different ideas.

I grumbled and shoved that small nagging part back into my subconscious. Mariku was always looking for ways to piss me off and this was just his newest plan.

Although…

I sighed and stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the kitchen.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Mariku was perched up on the counter and was pulling dishes one by one out of the cupboard and throwing them like Frisbee's across the room. He turned and saw me and got a scary grin on his face, "Fluffy! You're up! Catch!"

I yelped and ducked as a plate went soaring past my head and shattered against the wall.

Why me?

"Mariku! Stop it!" I squealed and rolled as another dish came soaring in my direction.

Mariku grinned and opened up another cupboard since he had already smashed all my plates, "Why should I stop when I am having so much fun?"

"Because I won't have anything to eat my food off of!" I dodged a tea cup, "Or drink my tea with…"

Mariku continued to raid my cupboards and toss my priceless china in my general direction as I raced around the kitchen, trying not to get impaled by the flying porcelain.

"Stop it!" I dove under the dining table for cover and gave a frustrated moan, "Out of all the things in the house to destroy, you had to choose to decimate my china collection!"

"You have no food in this retched place!"

I flinched as another teacup smashed inches from my face, "I just bought some bloody food!"

"I ate it all."

"…You ate all our food? I had enough to last us at least to the end of the week!" I squeaked as another cup landed several inches from my right hand.

"Well you're just going to have to buy more now won't you Fluffy?"

I peeked my head out from under the table once the assault of dishes ended to see Mariku looking around for anything else he could toss. Finding nothing he growled and slid off the counter and met my gaze with his own.

"Fluffy, I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes, "You told me."

"Well then do something about it!"

I grumbled and gently worked my way from underneath the table. "Well we are going to have to go shopping then." I stood and brushed the dirt off my shirt and pants before putting my hands on my hips and fixing Mariku with a glare.

Mariku cocked his head and raised an eyebrow expectantly, "Well? We going to go get some food or you just going to stand there and undress me with your eyes?"

I felt my face erupt in a bright blush and I stuttered, "I…I am _not_ undressing you with my eyes!"

Mariku gave a sly grin, "Oh you're doing more? Wow Fluffy you surprise me with your boldness."

"Shut up! Argh!" I stomped my foot and felt my face flush redder. "Do you want some food or not?"

Mariku licked his lips and made several advancing steps towards me, "Oh I want something to eat alright."

I felt my eyes widened and I took a few steps backwards, "W…well we can go buy some food."

Mariku's eyes glinted with an unreadable look and he approached me again, "Why buy some food when you're looking so edible yourself _Ryou_?"

Oh shit.

"Heh well I…I assure you I r…really don't taste too good." I squeaked as I bumped into the kitchen counter and Mariku closed the distance between us.

I took in a shaky breath as he leaned down so we were nose to nose again. I couldn't help it, I immediately thought of the kiss from the other day and I felt things low in my torso tighten.

Swallowing hard I looked him in the eyes and was surprised to see a curious and slightly lustful gaze, "Y….you're not really hungry are you?"

"No." He breathed against my neck and I felt myself shudder.

"W….what do you want from me?"

Mariku cocked his head and brushed his mouth against my neck, "To be honest I don't know."

I flinched slightly as Mariku put his arm around me and rested his hand on my lower back.

"I will tell you this much Fluffy; you intrigue me more than any other human I have ever met and I cannot figure out why."

I felt my heart skip a beat as Mariku pinned me against the counter with his hips, "I _will_ figure you out. Of that I am sure. But for right now?" He brushed his lips across my collar bone and up to my ear. "I want… _you_….to…"

I gasped and gave a light moan.

"Get me FOOD!"

I squealed and lost my footing, ending up on the floor.

Mariku laughed and backed away from me, "Let's go! I could eat a fucking cow now that you've wasted so much time!"

If I hadn't known any better I would have sworn I just had a mini heart attack.

Shakily I got to my feet and walked over to where Mariku was waiting impatiently in the spare bathroom.

The Egyptian yami was not too keen on being recognized by anyone when we went out in public, so he had begun to make me fix and straighten his hair to look like Marik's.

If you looked closely enough, it was plain to see how much different Mariku looked from Marik, even though they could pass for twins to the untrained eye.

"Alright sit down." I sighed and grabbed a hairbrush and hair straightener as Mariku sat down on the bathroom stool.

Of all the things I imagined doing one day, using a hair straightener on a psychopathic Egyptian somehow never made the list. I sighed and began the tedious task of taming Mariku's wild hair.

"Fluffy?"

I rolled my eyes, "What?"

He paused, seemingly thinking about what he wanted to say. "Do you care for Omote?"

I blinked at the odd question and continued to fix his hair, "As a friend, yeah. I mean, Marik and I are really close now, we have a lot in common."

He chewed on his lip slightly, "Have you ever kissed him?"

I paused and gave him a shocked look, "W…what? No! No I've never kissed Marik!"

Mariku looked up at me, an unnerving look in his gaze, "I see."

"…Why do you ask…" I forced myself to continue working on his hair, it gave me something to do other than stare into Mariku's dark gaze.

"Are you a virgin?"

I nearly dropped the hair iron and had to fumble around so I didn't burn myself. "W…what?"

Mariku cocked his eyebrow and I glared in return, "I am not discussing my sex life with you!"

He chuckled and crossed his arms, "I figured you were. No wonder you and Omote are so uptight. You need to get laid."

"Sh…shut up! We are uptight because you two came barging into my apartment and took over our lives. You're running a dictatorship in my home and are trying to take over the world! _That's_ why I am uptight!"

By the time I had finished my tirade, my face was red from embarrassment and anger. Of course nothing fazed Mariku.

"Whatever you say Fluffy. Now hurry up! I am hungry and I want some food! Preferably something meaty."

I took in a growling breath and continued my ministrations to his hair, "Maybe you're the one who needs to get laid. You and Bakura are the ones with the world domination complex. Maybe if you got some you guys wouldn't be so evil."

He laughed darkly, "Oh Fluffy I have gotten laid. Plenty of times actually, and with Bakura. So therefore I believe it is still _you_ who needs some sexual stimulation."

I paused in my straightening and swallowed. I don't know why, but hearing that Mariku had sex with Bakura touched on something deep within me. I shakily began to finish up his hair. "You…had sex with Bakura?"

"Oh yes." He grinned at me in the mirror. "He is quite an animal in the bedroom, well in our case it was the shadow realm." He chuckled and his eyes turned lusty, "I do wonder if his hikari is just as animalistic."

I blushed madly and put the straightener on the counter by the sink. He was just trying to get a reaction out of me and I was not going to give him one, "I'm done." I swallowed and crossed my arms as Mariku rose fluidly to his feet.

I squealed in surprised when Mariku pinned me against the wall and put his mouth to my ear, "Perhaps one day I will know."

He laughed and moved away from me, leaving me slightly shaken.

"Come on Fluffy, let's go get some food." He grinned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving me staring after him in shock.

Clenching my fists I walked out after him, "You're infuriating! You do know that right?"

He just smirked at me and grabbed Marik's motorcycle keys off the table and walked outside.

"Hey!" I grabbed my coat and scurried to catch up to him. "Mariku wait!"

I raced outside and my heart beat just a bit faster at the sight of him.

He looked at me from his position on the motorcycle and gave a sly smirk. He had straddled the sleek machine and was leaning casually against the handle bars. I felt my heart leap up into my throat and other things in my body tighten. I took in a shaky breath and swallowed back the odd feelings before approaching Mariku and very carefully getting on the bike behind him.

"Do we really have to ride the bike to the store? It's not that far of a walk."

"We're going somewhere different today."

"W…what? Why?" I swallowed hard as Mariku started the bike and hit the kickstand back with the heel of his foot.

"Because I want to, and since you're my hostage, you have to do what I want to do."

I gave a frightened squeak as Mariku tore out of my driveway and onto the road, forcing me to wrap my arms tightly around his waist. "Where are we going?"

Mariku gave me a devious grin and weaved around a car, "Somewhere with lots of meaty food!"

I groaned and hugged him tighter, "We aren't wearing any helmets!"

"Who needs helmets?" He laughed crazily and accelerated hard, forcing me to increase my death grip on his torso.

"Mariku! We could crash and die!"

He gave a snort and weaved dangerously in and out of traffic, "I am a good driver!"

I closed my eyes tight and buried my face into Mariku's back, snuggling my head into the fabric of his cloak. I somehow seriously doubted the truth of his statement. I shivered and took in a deep breath, the musky smell of Mariku's cologne drifting through my nostrils and his hair flying back and mixing with mine.

I know I was living through my worst nightmare come true, but for some reason, for a brief moment, the smell of Mariku and the feel of his cloak and hair brushing against the exposed parts of my face made me feel just a bit better.

For the first time since the loss of my mother, I could honestly say I felt safe, sure and protected. And for the first time since Mariku arrived, I felt secure. It almost makes you believe that the world is good and nothing wrong can ever happen.

Who knows, maybe it won't. In my life experiences I have learned that a little hope can go a long way.


	13. Discoveries

Author's Notes: I decided to update early since I got a chapter ahead. Looks like I can never set a firm schedule with my updating so how about this. I will post a minimum of one chapter a week. What day I cannot say but I will keep to once a week unless I get ahead. I also have a few other ideas in the works and I should be able to post a one-shot soon about Thief King Bakura. So you guys will have that sometime in the near future. I am also planning a casteshipping story because well this author loves a challenge. She also kinda digs casteshipping if it's done right so I will see how I do.

A note to my reviewer J Bear since you were anonymous and I couldn't respond. No this will not turn into conspireshipping. I can see where you are getting the idea but it won't happen. Mainly because Bakura and Mariku were, for a lack of a better term, fuck buddies and nothing more. You also missed that there are two other couplings that would need to happen: Tendershipping and Bronzeshipping and well…the hikari's and yami's just hate eachother too much for that. Maybe one day I will try to ship conspire, but it is near impossible with some many clashing personalities.

Okay I have eaten up enough of your time already so I will now let you get to the story! This chapter is mainly filler but for you stepshippers out there I do believe you will be slightly pleased.

Enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 13: Discoveries**

**Mokuba's POV**

Yugi gaped at me and I felt the smile on my face widen.

"W…what did you say Mokuba?"

"Noah has been helping me run KaibaCorp Yugi."

"Noah? You mean the crazy stepbrother who was trapped in the virtual world by your even more insane stepfather, that Noah?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah that's the one alright."

"He's back? Really? Wow." Yugi scratched his head and looked down for a brief moment before he lifted his gaze back to me. "That's really amazing! How did he do it?"

I smiled, I knew that out of all my friends, Yugi would be the most understanding. He was really the only one out of the bunch who didn't seem to hold any sort of grudge against my virtual stepbrother.

"Well he was able to escape through a fail-safe backdoor and into the KaibaCorp mainframe. It took him a really long time though, because Seto and I implemented a really strong security system." I gave a smug smirk, "He managed to just slip by and make it into my computer."

Yugi blinked and his eyes were wide in absolute surprise, "This is just…amazing!"

"I know right?" All my previous exhaustion was gone now that Yugi had come and got me excited about Noah all over again.

"So, is he like, living in your computer right now?"

I nodded and began walking down the hallway towards the office, "Come on I will show you."

Yugi followed behind me rather eagerly and I lead him into the room.

"Noah?" I walked over to the computer and sat down at the chair. "You here?"

The screen flickered from black and Noah's face appeared on the screen, "Is everything okay Mokuba? Do you need anything?"

I smiled and glanced at Yugi before turning back to Noah, "Nothing is wrong, Yugi wanted to see you."

Noah blinked, "Yugi?" He tilted his head so he could see better.

I moved to the side as Yugi approached with a look of shock on his face, "Wow…heh…hey Noah." He gave a small wave and Noah blinked, looking to me to make sure I was really giving away his return then he looked back at Yugi, "Hi Yugi."

I think Yugi was trying to process what he was seeing; the disbelief was showing clearly on his face as he slowly approached the computer screen and slowly reached out to touch the screen. "I can't believe it. This is so unreal." He blinked then looked back to me.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I looked from Yugi to Noah.

Noah seemed to be in partial shock himself, probably because he didn't get ranted and raved at for what he did to everyone in the virtual world.

"It's definitely good to see you again Noah. If anyone deserved to come back it was you." Yugi smiled and sat down in Seto's desk chair. "I am a firm believer in second chances."

I saw Noah smile and his eyes shined with that inner happiness that I had been seeing a lot of lately, "Thank you Yugi. I do appreciate it."

Yugi smiled, "You and Mokuba must be a good team. KaibaCorp is still standing after all." He laughed and looked at me and I gave him a playful glare.

"Real funny Yugi." I gave an eye roll and crossed my arms, "Well we really ought to let Noah relax, he has been working hard lately."

Noah gave a light chuckle but didn't protest. I know it was hard to believe, but I knew from experience that just because you existed inside a computer didn't mean you didn't get tired. I remember when we were stuck in Noah's virtual realm I found myself surprisingly exhausted after all the running around we did.

Yugi nodded. He too understood how exhausting it could be and he gave Noah a smile, "It was good to see you again Noah."

Noah gave a parting nod, "You too Yugi. Maybe next time I see you we can talk longer." With that note the computer screen went black and I looked at Yugi to see if his reaction had changed any without Noah there to observe.

Yugi turned to me, his eyes still slightly wide from disbelief and I detected a hint of excitement within their depths, "That was beyond cool Mokuba. You must be purely ecstatic to have him back."

I had begun to walk out the door but paused as I heard what he said, "Ecstatic? Well…yeah I am very excited about it." I began walking again and pushed the door open.

Yugi walked up beside me, matching my pace, and gave me a sly smirk, "Oh come on Mokuba. You can't hide your feelings from me."

"And what feelings are you talking about Yugi?" I looked at him with a puzzled expression on my face.

He laughed and shook his head as we walked back into the living room, "You know exactly what I am talking about Mokuba."

I stared at him as I sat down in the recliner, "To be honest Yugi, I have absolutely no idea what you're saying."

Yugi shook his head almost patronizingly and smirked at me, "You totally have a crush on Noah."

I felt my jaw drop open and I stared at Yugi in absolute shock as I felt my face turn a shade of vivid red, "W…what are you t…talking about?"

Yugi gave that all knowing smile of his and crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh come on Mokuba, you got this dreamy look in your eyes every time you glanced at him. And if my perception wasn't off, which it usually isn't, then he was giving you the same sort of look."

I opened my mouth to respond but then stopped mid-breath. Noah looked at me like that? I swallowed and regained my ability to speak, "Yugi…I…-"

He cut me off, "I promise I won't tell anyone Mokuba. It's your little secret I swear."

I wasn't worried about Yugi knowing, I was just worried about someone else possibly finding out about Noah, someone not so willing to accept him.

I nodded and sighed, "Was it really that obvious?"

Yugi shrugged, "To me it was, but I am really perceptive. At least that's what everyone keeps telling me."

I ran my fingers through my hair and almost called to Roland to bring us something to drink before I remembered that I gave him the day off. Inhaling deeply I looked to Yugi, "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Yugi nodded his head, "Oh uh sure, I will take whatever you're having."

I stood up and began heading to the kitchen.

"Where are you going Mokuba?"

"To the kitchen." I looked back at him, "I gave Roland the day off so I am the butler for today and probably the next few days as well. I can take care of myself. I don't want people thinking I am nothing but a spoiled brat who can't even make microwave macaroni."

I smirked bitterly as I walked into the kitchen and heard Yugi get up to follow me.

"No one thinks that about you Mokuba."

I gave him a look, "Come on Yugi. Be honest now. You and I both know that everyone thinks the Kaiba boys are nothing but little princes who can't do anything for themselves." I took in a shaky breath and put my hand on the refrigerator door.

I felt Yugi's hand on my shoulder and I resisted the urge to shake it off.

"Did somebody say something like that to you?"

I bit my lip and pulled the fridge door open and blinked in surprise. There was nothing in there. Of course not Mokuba you ditz, there is no Roland to go grocery shopping for you.

"Nothing happened." I sighed and shut the fridge. "Sorry Yugi…I don't have anything for us to drink…or eat for that matter." I looked around the kitchen. I really didn't want to go and get groceries but it looked like I wouldn't have much of a choice.

"It's okay Mokuba, I don't need anything."

I stared at the fridge for a few more moments, acting as if I looked at it long enough it would magically restock. Sometimes having everything was a major inconvenience, especially when you had to do without.

"Mokuba, please, tell me what happened."

"Nothing." I turned on my heels and walked back out to the living room.

I could hear Yugi scurrying to keep up with me and I tried to unclench my fists.

"Mokuba…is this about Noah, because if it is then I am really sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's not about Noah." I walked over to the closet and yanked the door open and grabbed a small stack of newspapers and magazines.

"What are those?"

I turned and looked at Yugi before slamming the stack down on a side table.

He looked at me then to the massive stack of papers before picking one up and skimming over it.

I watched his expression go from confused to outright horrified, "O…Oh Mokuba."

I felt my face grow hot in anger from the pity in his words. I didn't want to hear it.

"This is…horrible." He blinked up at me then began to go through the other magazines and newspapers.

The journalists and paparazzi had an absolute frenzy when they heard Seto Kaiba was in the hospital and his little brother had temporarily taken over as CEO. To them our situation was pure gold.

"I…is this even legal?" Yugi looked up at me and I snatched a paper with a headline reading, "Younger Kaiba Plays Dress Up To Fill Big Brother's Shoes" and crumpled it into a small ball.

"Legal?" I laughed and slammed the ball into the ground, "Everything is legal for those scum!"

Yugi looked sadly at me then down at the paper, "How could they do something like this?"

"Because they don't care Yugi, and they think that if they can slam me enough I will go down and take KaibaCorp with me! They think I am some child who can't take care of himself or a multi-billion dollar corporation. Well they are in for a surprise since I am no ordinary fourteen year old. Seto took over this company when he was eleven and he was more than capable of running it."

I ran my fingers through my hair, a nervous gesture I picked up from Seto and heaved a heavy sigh. I had never gotten this angry or upset over something before. The stress was officially beginning to get to me. I had to get myself under control before I ended up like Seto.

I stiffened when I felt hands wrap around my wait from behind as Yugi gave me a hug, "You've been doing a great job at running KaibaCorp Mokuba. Forget what all those people say, their opinion doesn't matter anyways."

I sighed but didn't push him away, "It does to an extent Yugi." I turned my head to look at him, "Our Company thrives on the people who buy our stocks and put money into our business. If they were to scare all of our investors off then they could effectively destroy the entire corporation."

I felt Yugi let go and watched as he moved into my main line of vision.

"Mokuba, listen, I think you need a break from all of this. This company stuff is really starting to drag you down an unhealthy path and I really don't want to see you end up in the hospital as well."

His comment made me think of Seto and my heart broke all over again at the thought of my nii-sama being so sick.

"Mokuba…" Yugi looked at me with wide eyes. "Come on and sit down, you look shaken."

I let him lead me over to the couch and then allowed myself fall onto it.

"There you go." He sat down beside me and fixed me with a stern look. "Mokuba I want you to go to your room and lay down and take a nice long nap okay? And when you get up, you are going to take a half hour and eat a snack and refresh yourself before pouring over your job okay?"

The conversation so closely resembled the one I recently had with Seto that it hit me hard somewhere deep down. I suddenly didn't have the energy or incentive to fight him. Feeling how soft the couch was had reminded me of how tired I had been before Yugi had arrived and so I conceded, "Okay Yugi. I will do that."

He gave me a firm nod and fixed me with a stern gaze. There was no use in refusing the gaming king when he got like this.

I smiled and laid my head back against the couch, thinking of better things and deciding to change the subject.

"You're right you know."

Yugi looked at me and cocked his head, "I am? About what?"

"About Noah." I fingered my locket and ran my thumb over the black oval in the center of it. "I have like…a major crush on him." I gave Yugi a questioning gaze, "Is that wrong? I mean…he _is_ my stepbrother after all."

Yugi gave me a soft smile and shook his head, "Not at all Mokuba…Okay well maybe it is a little weird from an outsider's point of view, but really I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not like you're blood relatives or anything."

I gave a small sigh of relief. Yugi was the kind of guy who knew how to speak the truth but also tell you what you needed to hear. It was a rare skill I wish I possessed.

I smiled and gently let my locket fall back against my chest, "Thanks…" I chewed gently on my bottom lip before looking back to Yugi, "It was a shock when I first saw him appear on my computer screen, but after that initial surprise came a happiness so great that I realized hadn't felt that good in a long time. I know at first Noah was a complete jerk to all of us, but, towards the end he changed." I gave Yugi a firm look, "He showed a side of himself that hasn't been shown since he had been trapped in that awful place. I know I developed feelings for him fast, but once I fell, I fell hard Yugi."

I fidgeted and looked away, "It's like we both got a second chance to do it right and I don't want to ruin it."

I glanced back to Yugi to see him smiling, "I completely agree Mokuba and I am glad that Noah was able to come back."

I smiled and nodded and noticed for the first time that Yugi was wearing the millennium puzzle.

He followed my gaze and looked down to the puzzle then back up at me, "Heh yeah well Noah isn't the only one who is back Mokuba."

I blinked and let what he said process through my brain. "Wait a minute Yugi, you don't mean to say…" I trailed off and looked up at his face and he smiled at me.

"Mokuba…" He cradled the millennium puzzle in his hands as his eyes lit up with joy, "It's the Pharaoh, I mean Atem…He came back."

And here I thought I had the trophy for most shocking news.

Looks like Yugi won again.


	14. Stranded

Author's Notes: Well here it is! My weekly update! Chapter 14! I am very excited about this chapter since we get a lot of Bakura and Marik and a big question is finally answered! So without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 14: Stranded**

**Marik's POV**

It really didn't get much worse than this.

I gave a frustrated sigh and ran my fingers through my bangs, observing our new surroundings.

Bakura gave a huff and moved past me to kick a stray piece of driftwood, "How the fuck did we end up in the middle of nowhere?"

I rolled my eyes and fixed him with a glare. This was his fault after all.

_I watched as my brother and sister make their escape on Odion's motorcycle and I gave a triumphant laugh. There was no way Bakura was going to catch them now._

_Speaking of Bakura, I could hear him giving chase behind me and I pushed myself to run just a little faster._

_I knew if I provided enough distraction, I could get Bakura to follow me instead of my sister. Of course that plan would have only worked if Bakura valued me more than the millennium items. Well, that's at least what I kept telling myself as I raced further into the hot desert._

_I could hear Bakura's footsteps getting louder and I knew I couldn't keep up my pace much longer. That still didn't mean I was just going to let him catch me._

_I cried out as I felt Bakura collide into me from behind and we both went crashing into the sandy ground, tussling with each other before I ran out of energy and let Bakura pin me._

"_You really think you could run from me?"_

_I scowled and weakly struggled, "No, but at least I got you to leave my brother and sister alone. By now they are probably so far gone that you would never catch them! Plus, I don't know where they are heading so you can't threaten me into helping you!"_

_Bakura scowled and pushed me further into the sand, "It's no matter. I will get all the items eventually. This is just a small kink in my plans."_

_I gave a small smirk of triumph as he got off of me and brushed his clothes off._

"_Get up Ishtar. We're going back to Japan."_

_I blinked my eyes in surprise, "We're going back to Japan? We just fucking got here!"_

"_Well there's no reason to stay now is there? I am not going on a wild goose chase all over Egypt just so I can maybe find the necklace when I already know where the puzzle is."_

_I could not believe what I was hearing. "We just freaking GOT here Bakura! We just spent several terrifying hours on a plane ride here to only turn right back around and leave?"_

_He gave me a look, "Yes Marik, we are going back to Japan, but by all means go ahead and stay in this wretched hellhole. I am sure you're old home is still here, you could go back and reminisce."_

_That had been the final straw. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists before taking action._

_Bakura's eyes widened in shock mere seconds before I plowed my fist into his face, and I watched as he fell to his knees, clutching his now bloody and hopefully broken nose._

"_I am so SICK of your constant tormenting and taunting! You think that just because you push me around and bully me that I am going to give into you! I have some news for you though Bakura. You're wrong! I don't care what you do to me! I will never ever help you! You can threaten me all you want now, I don't give a shit. I'm done."_

_I crossed my arms and started the long trek back to the house. Turns out I ran a lot farther than I had first thought._

_I didn't turn around to look at Bakura, but I knew it wouldn't be long before he would probably get up and begin chasing after me again. If I knew anything about Bakura, it was the fact that he just didn't give up. An admirable trait in most people, but Bakura wasn't most people._

_Sure enough, it wasn't more than a minute before I heard footsteps behind me. I expected to get plowed into, but I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to reach the house without eating sand for the umpteenth time today. I walked up to the car and turned around to lean against it and looked at Bakura._

_I was expecting to see anger in his violet gaze, but instead I got an ambivalent stare in return. His face and the front of his shirt were covered in blood and he shuffled over to the car._

_He stopped a few feet from me and gave me a hard stare, "You broke my nose."_

_Somehow I didn't feel as joyous about that fact as I thought I would, but I wouldn't let Bakura know that._

"_What do you want me to do about it?"_

_He took in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, "You think you could take me to the hospital?"_

_I cocked an eyebrow, "I probably could."_

_He ran a shaky hand through his now sand coated hair, "Will you?"_

_I gave him a blank look._

"…_Marik….will you please take me to the hospital so that my nose doesn't heal looking all fucked up courtesy of you."_

_I smirked slightly at that and unlocked the car, "Alright. Let's go."_

_He slowly eased into the car and I drove to the nearest hospital. Neither of us said a word for the entire trip or during the time that we were there. It was only after we left that he said anything to me._

"_We're going to steal a boat."_

_Why wasn't I surprised?_

"_Is that how we are going to get home?"_

_He nodded and looked out the window, "Just drive to the docks and I will take it from there."_

"_Right." _

_I drove to the docks in complete silence. Bakura stared out the window the whole time with a distant look in his eyes. For a few brief moments I actually felt guilty about breaking his nose, at least I did until I remembered what he had said and done earlier and I got angry all over again._

_I pulled the car into the docks and turned it off. I looked at Bakura but he didn't spare me a glance as he slid out of the car and headed towards where the larger yachts where anchored._

_I left the keys in the car and got out to follow._

_Catching up to him, I saw that he had already picked out our ride home._

_The yacht was at least twice the size of mine and was painted red with white zigzagging stripes down the side and had been affectionately named 'The Red Baron." I crossed my arms and walked up to Bakura, "How exactly do you plan on stealing that thing?"_

_He answered me by climbing up over the side of the boat and ducking into the ships interior._

_I sighed and climbed up after him, after all there wasn't much else I could do at the moment._

_I jumped in surprise when a few moments later I felt the boat's engine rumble to life below me._

_The door to the cabin opened and Bakura walked out with a devilish smirk on his face, though the effect was sort of ruined by the large bandage covering his nose._

"_There is nothing I can't steal Ishtar."_

_I sighed and gave him a slightly shocked look, "Well Bakura I must say I am…kind of impressed."_

_He gave a snort, distorted because of the bandages and I smirked._

_Bakura gave a growl and went over to the anchor and used the automatic pulley system to hoist it up, "We're leaving now."_

"_Let me guess. You don't know how to drive a boat either do you?"_

_Bakura scowled but didn't say anything._

"_I will take that as a yes then." I grinned and walked into the cabin, going up the ships wheel and feeling quite smug about it._

_Bakura walked in and took a seat on the co-captains chair, focusing his eyes on me and watching my movements intently._

_I glanced at him before carefully easing the boat out of the docking area, "It will take us about four weeks to get back to Japan, so I hope for your sake and mine that there is some food in this boat."_

"_There is, I already checked. There should be enough to get us back if we ration carefully. Basically Marik, don't be a fucking hog and we will be fine."_

_I rolled my eyes and considered going down to the food storage area and checking myself, but if Bakura learned anything from living as a thief, it would be how much food he and several others could live on over large amounts of time spent away from home._

"_Alright, well…" I looked around before turning the boat full throttle and setting the coordinates for Japan. "I am going to go check things out. Just don't touch anything okay?"_

_He gave me a look and I returned it, "I am serious Bakura. We don't want to be stranded out in the middle of the ocean because you were a complete idiot and fucked the boat up."_

"_Just relax Ishtar, I am not going to sabotage our only ride home." _

_Sighing in defeat, I walked out of the cabin and went to check everything out._

_All the necessities were in order and I didn't find anything wrong._

_Luckily for me, there were several bedrooms so Bakura and I didn't come into much contact for the entire trip._

_Things went relatively well for those weeks that I was confined on the ship with only Bakura as company. We never said much to each other and if we found ourselves in the same room, the tension was usually eased by one or the other leaving. It seemed that ever since I punched Bakura and let him know I was serious, he reconsidered his approach of how he treated me._

_Not that I was complaining, but it was a tad bit disconcerting._

_Everything was going well and as planned until the last leg of our trip. We had been on the open water for three weeks and I was down in storage taking stock of what food we had left._

_I finished counting the boxes and put my hands on my hips. We had just enough left for another week and a half. This was good. Smiling in triumph I began to make my way back to my room when the entire boat lurched forward and threw me off of my feet and into the wall in front of me._

"_Bakura!" I cried out and raced up the stairs and burst into the captain's area._

"_Bakura what is going on?"_

_He looked at me with wide eyes, "I don't know!"_

_I clenched my fists and grabbed the wheel, "You had to have done something!"_

_Giving a frustrated cry at his clueless expression, I ran outside to the deck and moved quickly to the stern of the boat._

_My eyes widened in shock as I saw a huge tear in the yacht's haul._

"_SHIT!" I cried out and ran back to the cabin where Bakura was still standing with a dumbstruck look on his face._

"_Marik what is going on?"_

"_There's a breach in the haul!"_

_Bakura gave me a blank look, "What the fuck are you talking about?"_

_I gave a moan of frustration, "There's a HOLE in the side of the boat and we are taking on water!"_

_I could practically see Bakura's brain working through that particular piece of information and his eyes widened in shock, "We're sinking?"_

"_Yes!" I stomped my foot and raced back to the wheel. "There is a small island not far from here. I think I can get us there or pretty damn close."_

"_You think!" Bakura was by my side in an instant. "And what happens if you can't get us to the island in time?"_

_I glared at him, "Then I guess we are going to have to swim!"_

"_Swim?" He looked out the window at the still far off islands, "We'll get eaten by fucking sharks if we have to swim that far! There's no telling if we will even make it!"_

"_Not like we really have a choice Bakura!" I put the throttle down and the boat rocketed towards the island._

_We were only a few hundred feet from shore when the water began to pour into the upper cabin area. I looked around and spotted Bakura on the deck._

_Racing out I waved my hands and yelled to him, "Bakura we have to abandon ship!"_

_He looked at me then down at the water and back at me, "Right now?"_

"_Yes right now!" I grabbed a small bag of my important items and leaped over the side._

_After a moment's hesitation I heard a loud splash as Bakura joined me in the water._

_He swam up beside me and we began the tedious task of working our way through the water to the shoreline._

_It seemed like it took forever but we finally reached the grainy shore. _

_I weakly crawled up onto the sandy beach and felt my heart drop as I saw the 'Red Baron' sink slowly to her watery grave._

_Bakura crawled up beside me before collapsing into an exhausted heap, "Screw this shit. I am never ever traveling ever again."_

_I gave him a look then rested my head against the sand and let out a heavy sigh. What else could possibly go wrong?_

So that's where we were now, stranded on a deserted island with no proper food, water or shelter on hand. We were completely and totally screwed, and all thanks to Bakura who finally admitted he had accidently bumped into the steering wheel the second day we were here.

"We are in this situation because you couldn't watch where you were freaking going! You just _had_ to bump into the steering wheel and sink our only way home! So now, we are stuck here on this God forsaken island with no food or water with nothing but each _other _for COMPANY!"

Bakura make a grumbling noise and moved to stand in front of me. "Blaming me for this whole ordeal is not going to solve anything. Plus, we are fine! We found coconuts to eat and there is that small stream where we get our fresh water from, so quite frankly I don't get why you're bitching and complaining like an old woman."

I growled and clenched my fists tightly, seriously tempted to re-break Bakura's nose.

"First off I am blaming you because it is your fault! And it makes me feel better to do it so I will continue to do so! Secondly, I am complaining because we have been STUCK on a FRIGGIN' desert ISLAND for the past five days!" I kicked the sand in Bakura's general direction then walked over to a fallen tree and used it as a bench to sit on.

Granted the island was very beautiful, with a long shoreline that overlooked the ocean and a large spread of tropical trees. The whole thing reminded me of some sort of romantic getaway. Although my situation was anything but romantic at the moment.

Bakura gave a huff and began pacing across the hot sand, and when I say hot, I mean hot. The sun was directly overhead and with no protection other than the trees behind us, the sand had become incredibly hot. I scowled as I watch Bakura move back and forth with seemingly no regard for his probably scorched feet. Why he had taken off his sandals in the first place was beyond me, but whatever, I didn't give two shits about what he did to satisfy his possible masochistic urges. I looked down at the sand and frowned. I may be Egyptian but that didn't mean I had to like the grainy substance. In fact, I hated it, and that went double for when it was hot. The faster we got out of here, the better it would be for both my mental and physical well being.

I let my eyes wander to Bakura's pacing form and I watched as his muscles moved together in tandem making him look like some elegant feline predator.

How did he get his body back? How had he and my dark half managed to escape the darkest depths of the shadow realm and come back to wreak havoc on our world yet again?

These were the questions I really wanted the answers to, but I never figured I would get them. I guess there is no harm in trying now though. There was no better time than the current since I had Bakura alone and away from his cohort in crime.

"Bakura?"

He paused in his pacing and looked over to me, "What is it Marik?"

I studied him for a moment before speaking, "I know you didn't just appear out of nowhere because the gods willed it or some cheap crap like that, considering you are like the devil incarnate." At that he rolled his eyes. "So how_ are_ you and my darker half here? How did you manage to both bring yourselves and the millennium items back?"

He cocked a single eyebrow and walked over to a nearby palm tree. He looked at the trunk for a brief moment before leaning against it casually, "I don't owe you that explanation Marik."

I scowled and gave him a hard glare, "I think you owe me _something_ Bakura. You've invaded Ryou and I's home, taken over everything we own and have insulted both him and me on a regular basis. I think that constitutes at least some partial explanation as to how you were able to come in and fuck our lives up."

Bakura's gaze hardened and he scoffed.

Okay, time for a different tactic.

"I would at least think you would want to brag about being able to drag your sorry ass out of the shadow realm."

"Insulting me is no way to get your answers Marik."

"As if you're any better." I kicked at the sand, "Come on, who am I really going to tell your trade secret to? That coconut tree over there?"

"Magic. That's how we did it."

I blinked. I really didn't expect him to answer me, although his response was less than satisfactory. "Well no shit Sherlock. I want to know details and just saying 'it was magic' isn't going to cut it."

Bakura gave a heavy sighed and uncrossed his arms, "You're not going to let this go are you?"

I shook my head no and have him an expectant look.

"Well fine." He gently rested his hands on the millennium ring. "It's shadow magic, very complicated and very powerful shadow magic."

He looked at me and I gave him a look. "Go on."

"Mariku and I were able to create enough power between us to recite several ancient spells and combine them together to get the result we ultimately desired. The first spell allowed us to send the millennium items back to whomever was chosen by them last. I think that was the most difficult part of the spell. It required a lot of energy and concentration and took several failed attempts before we finally succeeded."

He took in a deep breath and looked out towards the ocean.

"The next part was a little easier but more complicated in the mechanics of _how _it worked. First we had a ritual that allowed us to escape the shadow realm for short periods of time and we had another accompanying one that allowed us to form bodies from shadows; again for very short periods of time. We could give the illusion of having a body but we could only remain solid for maybe a minute tops and even then we were relatively weak."

He ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze back to me.

"Before we wanted to get the items back to the original owners we wanted to perfect keeping our bodies solid so that when we came after the items we would be able to grasp and keep them. So, now we had a way to get the items back from where they were buried and a way to get them, but there was one piece still missing. We had to figure out how to get permanent bodies."

I found myself surprisingly enraptured by his story. This was something purely out of my realm of belief and yet here the proof stood in front of me explaining it all. I found myself amazed as he continued on.

"That is the other main purpose of the millennium items. Through the final ritual we would be able to harvest enough dark magic from the millennium items themselves in order to fully form permanent bodies. We would need to get a single millennium item that we could keep with us all the time in order for it to work. We took the rod and ring because they were what we were used to and the items had already accepted us. That and they were among the easiest to get."

I scowled at his subtle insult but he only smirked and continued on.

"Over time, we would be able to draw on the item's powers and begin to form our permanent bodies, though it takes a lot of time." He pushed off the tree and walked over to me. "Let me show you what I mean Ishtar."

I swallowed hard as Bakura made a fist and reeled his arm back. I squeaked and froze as I watched his fist come flying towards me. I closed my eyes and braced myself for an impact that never came.

I slowly opened up my eyes to see Bakura standing there with a smug look on his face.

I swallowed and blinked as he chuckled.

"Didn't feel a thing did you Ishtar?" He waved his hand in front of my face and then put it on my shoulder and I gave a surprised yelp when it went right through.

"I won't be able to do that for much longer though. It's become opposite of what happened when we first started. Now I can only become shadow for short periods of time before I have to become solid again." His body gave a shudder as it must have re-solidified itself.

"T…that's….amazing Bakura!"

Bakura snorted, "Of course it is." He looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Any more questions Ishtar?"

I swallowed and thought about that. I could have sworn there was something I still wanted to know.

"O…Oh! Yes! How did you find us then, and the items?"

Bakura moved back over to his coconut tree, "That too is simple. We knew who had the items last so we knew where at least five of them would end up. It was all a matter of flipping through the Domino City phonebook. Or Facebook." He grinned and I felt my jaw drop slightly.

"You look as though you were expecting something much more complicated Marik."

I paused, "Well I was, but, I guess that makes sense." I shrugged and folded my hands in my lap. "Thanks for answering my questions."

Bakura stared at me for a moment, shocked by my response, "Oh uh sure." He swallowed and looked around.

I allowed my own eyes to wander out to the spot on the water where 'The Red Baron' had once been, "Too bad you don't have a spell to get us off this island and back home."

He cocked his head to the side and a slow grin grew on his face as his eyes focused somewhere off in the distance, "I don't think we need magic to do that Ishtar." He chuckled and nodded his head to an area further down the shoreline.

There, pulling up onto the beach was a small boat full of people.

I grinned and looked at Bakura and he gave a sly smirk in return.

Waiting until the people unloaded and wandered into the tree line with all sorts of camping gear, Bakura and I snuck over to the moored boat.

"Really Bakura, we can just ask them to take us back with them."

He rolled his eyes and jumped into the boat, "You can either come with me now or stay here with these idiots roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. The choice is yours but make it fast."

Sighing, I internally shrugged and got into the boat with Bakura. As long as it wasn't me I really didn't care.

I swear Bakura was beginning to rub off on me, and the thought of that surprisingly didn't even bother me in the least.


	15. Beginnings

Author's Notes: If you haven't noticed already this fic has officially earned its M rating now starting with this chapter. That is if it hadn't already with all the cussing coming out of my characters mouths. There is some slight limey/lemony action in this chapter towards the end but I won't spoil anything more about it. That's about all I think. I hope the rating change doesn't deter readers. A certain character just couldn't keep his hands to himself. I am sure you all know who. That is all! Do enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 15: Beginnings**

**Ryou's POV**

I was really starting to get worried about Marik and Bakura. Well…Marik. I couldn't care less if anything bad happened to my darker half.

Humming to myself I continued going through today's newspaper.

I sighed as I looked at the date. It had been nearly five weeks since Bakura and Marik had left on their idiotic journey to Egypt.

Taking in a deep breath I looked over to the window where Mariku was staring with wide eyes out at the snow. I couldn't help but smile. Ever since the first snow fall, Mariku had been practically glued to the window watching the small delicate flakes float slowly down to the earth. He had turned into a giant child and thankfully stayed that way.

He looked over to me and his eyes lit up, "Fluffy can we go outside today? Please." He got up and walked over to me and grabbed my hands. "Please please please?"

I laughed lightly. Things had improved greatly between Mariku and myself over the past weeks; one of the major benefits to Bakura taking off on an extended trip. Without my crazy darker half around to antagonize Mariku, the Egyptian yami had been on his best behavior. I was mostly grateful for the fact that I didn't get chased around the house by the crazed knife carrying yami.

"Alright, we have to dress warmly though." The first time Mariku had discovered snow I had to drag him inside and make him put on shoes and a coat. He had gone running out in nothing but his boxers and a t-shirt and dove right into a large snow pile. I am still amazed he didn't get frost bite.

Mariku leapt over the couch and ran to the closet where we kept all our heavy coats and boots, "Hurry up Fluffy!"

I rolled my eyes and walked over to him as he began throwing on random articles of clothing. "Mariku, no, the ear muffs go on your _ears _that's why they are called ear muffs."

"I don't see the point of all this useless clothing." He pouted and stopped trying to stuff the earmuffs down his pants.

I just learned to stop asking after awhile.

"The point is so that you don't get frost bite!" I handed him a coat and fished out a pair of boots that would fit him.

"Well it's dumb." He grumbled and sat on the stairs and stuck his feet out.

"You know you could put the boots on yourself right?" I grumbled and knelt down to begin to difficult process of working the boots onto his feet.

He grinned and watched me struggle, "It's hard! And plus I have you to do it for me!"

I bit my cheek and managed to get his first boot on, "Well you could make an effort to learn!"

His answer was in the form of his other foot being shoved into my face.

"Ugh Mariku." I shook my head but gently pushed the other boot onto his foot. "Okay now," I tied them both then stood, grabbing his coat out of the closet, "Here, put this coat on too. I trust you can do that by yourself?"

He just smirked and ripped the coat out of my grasp, throwing it on before racing out the door and letting in a small flurry of snow.

I sighed and shut the door before getting out my own boots and coat.

Sitting down I began work my feet into the boots with slight difficulty. The only thing that bothered me about the snow was it took forever to get the bulky footwear on.

A loud thump from outside the door made me scurry to get my coat on and leap to my feet. If I had learned anything about Mariku in these past weeks, it was that he could never be left alone for longer than a minute tops.

"Mariku!" I whipped the door open and gave out a cry of surprise when I was assaulted by a snowball to the face.

I heard his maniacal laughter before seeing a flash of purple as he raced across the snow covered yard.

I slowly wiped the snow off my face before shutting the door behind me and running for the nearest cover. It was essentially useless to hide from Mariku, but that was half of the fun.

I could not believe I had just called this fun.

Giving a surprised yelp as a snowball soared mere inches from my face, I dove and rolled behind a big bush and gathered up a large bit of snow in my hands and compacted it.

"Come on Fluffy! This game is no fun when you hide the whole time!"

I smirked to myself and took my time making several more snowballs. I knew his strategy. He would try and get me to respond to him, therefore giving away my position.

Well I had news for him; I wasn't going to walk into his trap.

Confident that I had enough ammo I slowly got into a crouch and peaked around the edge of the bush looking for Mariku.

I didn't see him anywhere, but that didn't mean he wasn't around. Living with Mariku taught me many things, one of which was to always look up. Sure enough when I glanced up, I saw the Egyptian Yami perched among the lower tree branches holding several snowballs. He had his back turned to me and was surveying the area closer to the house.

I smirked at my opportunity and carefully took aim before throwing a particularly hard snowball full throttle at Mariku's back.

He gave a yelp of surprise as the mini ball of snow nailed him directly on the back of his spiky haired head. He tried to turn to retaliate but was too off balance and instead went tumbling down to a large mass of snow beneath the tree.

I gave a laugh of triumph and quickly picked up two more snowballs. "I have you now Mariku!"

I wailed another snowball at him and this time hit him directly in the face.

Mariku blinked in surprise at my boldness before regaining his senses and rolling to his feet. "I concede this small victory to you Fluff, but now prepare to DIE!"

I yelped and turned tail as Mariku wailed several large snowballs in my general direction and I went down as three perfectly aimed hits nailed me right in the back.

I lifted my head and scrambled in an attempt to get to my feet. Mariku lesson number two; you never ever let him get you on the ground because you weren't going to get back up.

I gasped as the air was knocked out of my lungs when I felt Mariku leap onto my back with a battle cry of "SURPRISE BUTT SEX!" and slammed me into a nearby pile of snow.

Sometimes I wonder where he comes up with half the things he says.

"Marikuuuu" I moaned and glared at the snow. Damn me for antagonizing him and then encouraging these bat shit insane games of his.

I felt Mariku's breath on my neck as he leaned down and began licking the falling snow off of it, "Mmmm I win this time Fluffy."

I gave a frustrated grumble, "Yes you did Mariku. Now can you stop licking my neck and let me get up?"

"No." He chuckled and nipped at my ear lobe and I heaved a sigh. With no Bakura around Mariku had become oddly energetic and it took me a good two weeks before I realized what was probably going on. Mariku was in need of some sexual stimulation and without Bakura around I was the only available option. For once I really hoped my theory was wrong.

"Mariku…" I growled and tried and failed to throw him off of me. "Seriously get off of me."

He purred against my ear and I felt my body shudder, "You don't _really_ want that now Ryou."

"Yes I do! It's extremely cold down here and your dead weight isn't helping me feel any warmer!" I reached a gloved hand out and tried to claw my way out from underneath him.

I wouldn't lie though, his body against mine did provide me with some very sexual thoughts and _those_ definitely warmed me up some.

I took in a steadying breath and clawed at the ground again but froze when my bottom rubbed against Mariku's crotch.

I could tell he was very excited to be in the position he was in.

I heard him chuckled darkly and he pressed his mouth against my cheek, "I can think of plenty of other ways to help warm you up."

I shuddered and felt myself slightly harden and I buried my face into the snow to try and shock my system back to normal, "S…stop that!" I gasped as I felt Mariku's gloved hand reach around my front to rub the crotch of my pants and I felt myself harden even further.

"Mariku enough!" My eyes widened in shock as Mariku managed to somehow wriggle his hand down my pants and tug at my underwear.

"Come on Fluffy, let's play a new game hm?"

"No!" I threw my weight to the side and Mariku finally gave and we both ended up rolling down the hill and into another snow bank.

I jumped to my feet and backed against the nearest tree, "W…what do you think you're doing!"

Mariku gracefully rose to his feet and fixed me with an irritated look, "I was trying to get you to loosen up. You need to get laid and I haven't had a good fuck since Bakura left and I was hoping you might actually cooperate." He glanced at my crotch and smirked, "Well at least a part of you is."

I looked down and felt my face flush bright red as I saw the bulge in my pants. Of course that would happen to me.

I glared back up at Mariku and tried to calm myself down, "Well you were rubbing me! Of course my body is going to react! That doesn't mean I want it!"

"Oh I think you want it alright. You just don't want to admit it." He took a few steps towards me and I gulped. There was nowhere for me to run and Mariku had me right where he wanted me.

"Mariku seriously stop." I felt my heart rate increase as he closed the distance between us.

"Why?"

I swallowed as he got face to face with me, "B...because…" I couldn't think of a good reason. All coherent thoughts had flown from my mind. This had been happening a lot more often when Mariku was around and to be honest it was quite bewildering.

"Give me one good solid reason why I shouldn't take you into the house right now and have my way with you."

I swallowed several times before I found my voice, "B…because I…I believe in saving yourself for marriage!" I squeaked it out and turned my head away as my face erupted in a bright blush.

Mariku blinked. I don't think he expected the answer I gave him, and to be honest neither was I, "Saving yourself for marriage?"

I nodded, "I…I was raised on the belief that you don't have sex until marriage. I mean, I would be willing to do it before I suppose but…I would have to be absolutely sure they were the one."

Mariku was staring at me with the oddest look on his face, "That is certainly an odd philosophy."

I tried to ignore his gaze and not show the hurt in my eyes, "It's not that odd." I rubbed my arm and slowly looked up into his face.

The Egyptian yami had his head tilted slightly to the side and was giving me a look that plainly said he was clearly being curious and not insulting.

"So you won't have sex with me because you are not sure I am 'the one'. That's the only reason?" He even did air quotes before giving me a questioning glance.

I flushed even more and actually gave that question some thought before answering him. Would I have sex with Mariku if it weren't for my own personal value system?

I looked up at him. He had Marik's features but they were sharpened and more defined, making him his own person all the same. He was definitely handsome and experienced with a great body to boot.

So would I have sex with him if I wasn't so stuck on my morals that my mother instilled on me those few years she had been around.

My answer shocked even me.

"Yes Mariku. That is the only reason."

He seemed to mull that over in his head for a moment before moving back so I could move away from the tree if I wanted to.

I chose to stay.

"So you're saying that if I prove to you that I am 'the one' then you will have sex with me?"

I blinked and thought for a moment, "Well yeah I guess."

A small smile grew on Mariku's face, "Okay!"

Somehow I didn't think I was going to like where this was heading.

"Mariku listen it's not-"I didn't get to finish my sentence as Mariku ignored me and raced off to the house. I gave a sigh and slowly trudged after him. I had a bad feeling about what I would find once I got inside.

I was surprised to find the house in relative silence with the only signs of disruption being Mariku's discarded clothes thrown by the front door.

"Mariku? Where are you?"

I got my answer when I heard a crash coming from the master bathroom.

"Right. Okay I'm coming." Sighing I made my way into the bedroom then through the door to the bathroom. You can tell something was wrong when the site before me didn't surprise me at all.

Mariku was perched on the countertop with nothing but his boxers and golden jewelry on. His stance reminded me of an eagle eyeing its prey and I suddenly felt like a rabbit frozen in the face of a predator. In his hands he had the millennium rod and a bottle of bubble bath.

"Fluffy I'm cold. Fix me a warm bath."

I rolled my eyes and remarked sarcastically, "Anything else my kingship?"

"No, just the bath for now Fluffy."

I clenched my fists and started the water and tested it with my hand to make sure it wouldn't scald him, though the temptation was there. Once I got it just right I blindly snatched the bubble solution from Mariku and poured it in. I don't even know why I had this stuff. I think it was Marik's to be perfectly honest.

"More bubbles!"

I looked over my shoulder and my eyes widened in surprise, the bottle of bubbles slipping from my hand and tumbling into the bath water.

Mariku was no longer perched on the counter. Oh no. He was now standing in front of me wearing nothing at all.

And I mean nothing.

Not even the pretty golden adornments he had on just a minute or so ago.

I couldn't help it, I had to stare.

Mariku's body was toned and muscled in a way Marik's wasn't. Marik had muscle, but it flowed through his body making it seem like he was just a skinny kid. Mariku, on the other hand, looked like he was a regular visitor to the gym. He had muscles everywhere but was built in a way that made sure he didn't look like some extreme body builder. He was the perfect combination of muscle types and I couldn't hide the growing blush creeping onto my face.

"You like what you see Fluffy?"

I gulped and immediately tore my eyes away from his handsome, but naked, oh so _very_ naked body and tried to look intently at the tub which was rapidly overflowing with suds from the spilt bubble bath.

"It's um, n…nice Mariku. Very…erm…nice." I swallowed and did an internal face palm. Way to be articulate Ryou.

I heard Mariku chuckle and move closer to me while I turned off the water and tried to salvage some of the bubble solution.

"I do believe you think it's much more than just nice Little Light."

I gasped as his right hand snaked around my front and began massaging my crotch the way he had earlier in the snow.

"I am going to prove to you that I am this 'one' that you speak of. Then, my fluffy haired light, we will have sex, and lots of it."

I don't think Mariku understood what I had meant by 'the one'. All he saw was the challenge of getting into my pants, and if I knew Mariku, which I did, he was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Mariku…I don't think you underst- ARGH!" Mariku had wriggled his hand down between my pants and into my underwear and had begun to rub my already semi-hard length.

"S…Stop it!" I tried to jerk away but Mariku gripped me more firmly and chuckled, "You said no sex. You didn't say anything about the other sexual activities."

"Mar…Mariku…" I gasped and gripped the side of the tub as Mariku's skilled fingers manipulated my body in ways it had never experienced before. Okay I definitely had to admit that this was much better than doing it myself.

"My fluffy light is lucky to earn such attention from me." He purred in my ear and I let out a shudder as he continued his ministrations.

"M…Mariku…oh…oh God." I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly but the pleasure was beginning to be too much and the pressure was building between my legs.

I knew I was in trouble when I didn't even care that my bathroom floor was now covered almost entirely in bubbles and it was going to be one hell of a cleanup mission.

Mariku chuckled and nipped at my ear and continued rubbing my length with his hand, "_Come_ now Fluffy, haven't I treated you well?"

I gave a light moan as he gave a squeeze with the word 'come' and I was that much closer to doing just that.

"M…Mariku…th…this…I…ohhh!" I laid my face against my hands, which were now holding on with a death grip to the tubs edge imprinting indentation marks onto my palms and making my already pale knuckles whiter.

"Yesss Fluffy?"

"I…Oh God!" I cried out and melted in Mariku's grasp as my body found its release.

I heard him chuckle as he removed his hand from my now soiled pants, "I think Fluffy needs to join me in the bath tub and get all cleaned up."

I whimpered in protest as Mariku moved away from me and I slid to the floor and laid my head against the cold and soapy tile.

My entire body was shaking from the burst of pleasure and I tried desperately to get my erratic breathing under control.

Out of all the things I had planned on doing today, getting a hand job from Mariku had not even crossed my mind as a remote possibility.

I took in a long breath and let it out slowly and concentrated on the cool tile beneath me.

It may have been unexpected, but that didn't mean it was unpleasant. Oh it was more than pleasant; it was fan-fucking-tastic.

I let out a satisfied sigh and let my body relax and recover from the vast amount of pleasure it had just experienced.

It had been awhile since I last pleasured myself even relatively close to that and even then it was nowhere near what I had just felt by Mariku's hand.

My relaxation and recovery time was cut short though as I felt myself being lifted into the air and I squealed as Mariku unceremoniously dumped me into the bathtub.

"Mariku!" I sputtered and sat up out of the water and gave out a small squeak as he crawled in the tub to join me.

"W…what are you doing?"

"My fluffy one needs a cleaning. He got seed all over his pants."

I sputtered and tried to climb out of the bathtub but kept slipping because of the soap, "N…no it's fine! I can wash them in the washing machine like normal people do!"

I froze as I felt Mariku's hands on my pants as he unbuttoned them then pulled them off in one swift jerk that sent water and bubbles flying everywhere.

"Mariku!" I swallowed as I saw the lusty look in his gaze and he switched his position so he was straddling me.

"Yes Ryou?"

I took in a shaky breath not knowing what to say, "I…I…um…MMMM!"

My stuttering was interrupted as Mariku leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine, his tongue demanding entrance into my mouth.

My eyes met Mariku's and for once I decided to be reckless. There was nothing wrong with a kiss right? I mean the man already gave me a hand job.

With my decision made I opened my mouth and our tongues clashed together in unison.

**Mariku's POV**

I smirked in triumph as Ryou allowed me entrance to his mouth and I eagerly ran my tongue against his.

What it was about the thief's light that attracted me so was still a mystery to me, but I did know that his total lack of experience was a complete turn on for me.

This young man brought out feelings in me that were very confusing indeed. I had no name for them and they were completely different than the hatred and anger I was used to feeling with Omote and the lust I felt with Bakura.

The white haired teen squirmed beneath me but did not fight as I began to run my hands over him in exploration. Bakura had taken me from sexual novice to expert in no time and I was ready to pass this knowledge on to my little fluffy one.

Of course he had to allow me first.

I broke the kiss and let him gasp and pant for air, his pale chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Well Fluffy?" I tilted my head and ran my fingers through that oh so soft and delicate hair.

He looked up at me and blinked a few times, probably trying to process what had just happened.

"M…Mariku…." His flushed face became even redder when I cupped his ass.

"Yes Ryou?"

He swallowed hard and I grinned. This boy was simply too delicious.

I moved back as he pushed himself into a better sitting position, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Kiss me…and…the other thing." He fidgeted and blushed slightly and I chuckled.

"Because, I told you I was going to prove to you that I am the one."

He sighed, "Mariku I don't think you understand the concept of that." He looked up at me, big brown doe eyes shining, "When I said that I meant that...well that person would be the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Someone I loved so much that I wanted to raise a family with them." He got this dreamy look in his eyes and stared off past me. "It's being so sure that they will be everything you've ever needed that you would never consider being with anyone else." His eyes refocused and met mine, "That's the best explanation I can give."

I ran his words through my head. It sounded very complicated, "Are you saying I could never be that?"

He looked shocked, "W…well…I…I don't know. I mean I guess you never know."

Did I want all that? To be honest I just wanted in Ryou's pants, not to raise a family and all that junk with him. He was a challenge that I was determined to conquer, just like everything else in this new life. Though, something began nagging at the back of my mind. What exactly was I going to do with this new life of mine? Sure I had the millennium rod and Bakura was hunting for the other items so we could take over the world but…I knew that it wasn't going to happen. Bakura I think realized this also but he won't give up on his insane plans. To be honest, all I cared about was getting my own body and getting back to the real world and now that I had accomplished that I didn't know where to go next. Maybe Ryou knew what he was talking about with all this love junk.

I scoffed, yeah right, but still. Those nagging feelings continued in the back of my head as I stared at Ryou. Only he had ever affected me like this, no other human Omote had come in contact with had left me breathless and craving for more each time I encountered them, only this one.

"Then we shall see hm?" I grinned and ran my fingers delicately along his cheeks and watched as a shudder ran down his body and it was then that I knew that he was feeling some of the same things I was.

The only problem was I didn't know what those things were or what they meant for Ryou and I. Regardless, whatever it meant I was going to find out and I was going to be this 'one' for him.

There was no challenge Mariku Ishtar backed down from, and Ryou Bakura was no exception.


	16. Illness

Author's Notes: Let's just say I don't like this chapter. Like, at all. Nothing flowed right and I considered scrapping it several times but I had no idea how to make it different. I almost considered just posting the next one, but some rather vital, albeit minor, things happen here and I have to include it in order for some later things to be understood. I know this chapter is just going to get ripped to shreds but it's okay, it's pretty bad. I know. I promise the next won't be as bad. My updates have slowed yet again thanks to school but I have other fics in the works as well. I will try to keep on a once weekly update schedule, it just may not be this fic. ^_O If I can't get an update up for the week then I am sorry. I hope I can get back on track again soon enough. Okay, that's all. You got your fair warning. So proceed with caution!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 16: Illness**

**Seto's POV**

It felt good to finally be at home.

I looked around the mansion and just let my surroundings sink in, enjoying the smell of my home rather than the sterile stench of the hospital.

I would have been back sooner had it not been for a particularly bad infection taking hold several days after my operation and worsening my condition, making it incredibly hard to recover. Just when I thought I was getting better, the infection broke out once more and I got sick all over again.

At last the doctors had found a cocktail of antibiotics and medication that worked for me and I was finally able to get well enough that I was allowed to come home.

I heard Mokuba shut the door and walk in behind me and gently put his arm around my waist, "You doing okay Seto?"

I nodded stiffly and looked at the massive staircase that led up to the second story where my bedroom was and dreaded the effort it would take to get up there.

I scowled in disgust. When did climbing the stairs become something I took into deep consideration before doing?

Mokuba noticed my look and glanced up at me, "Nii-sama you should take one of the downstairs bedrooms until you fully recover."

I chewed on my lip as I looked at the stairs. I really didn't want to appear weak but then again I really didn't want to end up back in the hospital either. The only person who would see me struggle was Mokuba; was I really afraid of appearing weak to my little brother?

To be perfectly honest, yes.

"Well I will make the decision easy on you Seto." I was snapped out of my thoughts as Mokuba began to speak again. "All your things have already been moved to the large guest bedroom by the kitchen so you may as well just head right there and save us both the hassle."

I blinked and looked to my little brother in shock. I had never heard Mokuba speak that way before let alone to me.

Mokuba put his hands on his hips and nodded his head towards the hallway and I felt a small pang of sadness in my heart. I had to grow up so fast that I never got to enjoy my childhood and be a normal kid. I essentially became an adult when our parents died and I had to take guardianship of Mokuba. The last thing I had wanted was for him to go through the same thing I had and I tried my hardest to prevent that from happening.

Looking at him now though proved to me that my efforts had all been in vain. Mokuba would never get to enjoy being a normal teenage boy and it was all my fault.

"Right." I gave a gruff response and slowly made my way down the hall trying not to irritate my left side any further. My shirt was already doing a good enough job of that on its own.

I heard Mokuba moving around behind me as I opened the door to the room and eased myself down onto the bed.

"Do you need me to get you anything Seto? Food or something to drink?" Mokuba moved to stand in front of me and gave me a concerned look.

I slid my socks off and slowly made my way under the covers, "Maybe have Roland get me some water."

Mokuba nodded then gave me a very gentle hug, "I am just glad to have you home Nii-Sama. I want you to rest now okay? No getting out of bed unless you absolutely have to! Remember what the doctor said."

I scowled but said nothing. The doctor ordered that I not move from my bed for at least a week and no work for another three. I was going to go stir crazy but I knew if I didn't do exactly as the doctor said I would be facing the wrath of my younger brother.

"Alright Mokuba. I'll behave." I gave him a sly look and was gratified to see a smile grace his lips.

"You better Nii-sama or else you are going to be in BIG trouble!"

I scoffed, "As if that doctor could really do anything."

Mokuba shook his head laughing, "I meant _me_ Seto." He grinned and let go of me straightening up, "I'll have Roland bring you that water while I go get some more work done okay?"

"Alright Mokuba, just don't push yourself too hard." Now there was a case of hypocrisy if I ever heard one and Mokuba's look in return told me he thought the same thing. Oh well, I didn't want my little brother to end up like me. Sad but true.

He shook his head but the smile never faded from his face, "I have been doing this for over a month now Seto. Three more weeks isn't going to hurt me." His eyes met mine and his smile widened further, "Just focus on getting better Nii-Sama, that's all I ask."

Giving a small sigh I nodded to Mokuba, "I will."

He gave me a satisfactory nod and walked out the door.

Once he was out earshot I turned my head to the opposite corner of the bedroom and cocked an eyebrow, "Can't leave me alone for more than 5 minutes can you?"

I was answered with a chuckle as Atem's opaque form came away from the shadows, "Is that a problem Seto?"

I rolled my eyes but smiled as the former Pharaoh crawled onto my bed with a feline-like grace, "Not really." I shuddered slightly as Atem curled himself up gracefully beside me on the bed.

I sighed as he tried to rest his hands on mine but instead it went right through, "It would be nicer if I could get my hands on you."

He grinned, "Now now Seto, remember what happened the last time we had physical contact."

"Yeah you gave Yugi mono." I deadpanned, eliciting a chuckle from the former king.

"Yeah, Aibou is going to the doctor today to find out what's wrong." He gave me a sly smirk.

"You mean you haven't told him?"

Atem gave a small shrug, "He didn't ask my opinion."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and smile, "He's going to find out eventually you know."

"Oh I know, I would just like to delay the yelling session as long as humanly possible. I kind of like being able to hear out of both ears."

I laughed and was about to give a smart ass response when I heard footsteps approaching.

Atem looked to the doorway then to me and I whispered, "Roland."

He gave me a quick nod before his body slowly faded out of view, "I'll be back Seto. I Promise."

I let out a small sigh as Roland walked in and handed me a glass of water and a bottle of pills, "Here you go master Seto. You need anything else?"

"No. That will be all Roland. Thank you." I watched as he left then scowled down at the pill bottle before twisting the top off and popping one into my mouth.

Yami probably wouldn't be back for awhile so I pulled the covers up over my head and let out a groan. I may as well make an attempt to relax. It wasn't like Mokuba was going to give me much choice in the matter anyways.

I must have been more tired than I thought because it wasn't long before I slipped off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

I walked back into the game shop slowly, my steps sluggish and feet dragging against the floor. I was absolutely exhausted and now thanks to my visit to the doctor I knew why.

I had mononucleosis. Yeah that's right, mono.

I made my way through the back entrance and into the house, my eyes set firmly ahead. I had one goal in mind and that was to get to bed.

"What did the doctor say Yugi?"

I looked over to the couch where my grandpa sat reading the paper.

"He said I have mono."

My grandpa cocked an eyebrow, "The kissing disease? How in the world did you get the kissing disease? Is there something you're not telling me Yugi?"

I gave a frustrated grumble, "No grandpa. I don't know how I got it." _Though I do have a sneaking suspicion._

"Well go rest up Yugi. Don't want you to end up like that Kaiba boy."

I rolled my eyes, "Okay gramps." I continued walking to the stairway and grabbed the railing using as a support to haul my exhausted body up to my room.

I don't think I have ever been happier to see my bed before in my life.

"Ah bed!" I fell face forward onto my pillow and smiled.

"What did the doctor say Aibou?"

I lifted my head to find the semi-transparent form of Atem perched on the edge of my desk. He was looking at me with an intense gaze, his back straight and head held high showing his regality. The whole effect was sort of spoiled though by the leather arm bands and collar.

"Well, it's a funny story Atem." I gave him a fake quizzical look as I sat up on the bed.

"What do you mean Aibou?"

"I am _so_ glad you asked." I crossed my legs and sat Indian style on the bed and folded my arms.

He cocked his head to the side and I continued on, "Well you see, the doctor said I have mono."

His eyes widened in concern, "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah I am just peachy. I feel exhausted all the time and my throat is so sore it hurts to do pretty much anything involving my vocal chords. But besides that I am just great."

"I am so sorry Yugi…" He looked at me with a pitying glance.

I was so not buying this act he was putting on and so I continued on my tirade, "Now, the funny thing about mono is that most people catch it by exchanging saliva with someone who is infected and that's why they call it the kissing disease." I looked at him and I swore I saw him pale a little bit. Bingo.

"And, as you know my dear yami, I don't have any girlfriends let alone any who have mono. So I thought to myself, how could I possibly get mono? The only person I have been exposed to who has had mono was Kaiba and as much as I just _love_ Seto Kaiba, I'm not going to go around kissing him."

Atem was looking at me with his eyes slightly wide and his posture now gone on the defensive.

"I was thoroughly puzzled for awhile until I remembered that _you_ borrowed my body for awhile to '_talk'_ to Kaiba. You two didn't happen to do anything more than talk did you." I cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to respond.

Atem swallowed several times and opened his mouth then shut it before sliding off the desk, "Aibou listen..."

"Oh GOD!" My eyes widened in horror. I had the sneaking suspicion that he and Kaiba had something going on but having it confirmed just blew my mind. "You _**kissed**_ Kaiba? KAIBA?" I suddenly had the urge to run to the bathroom and wash my mouth out with soap. No scratch that, draino would be more effective.

"Yugi calm down! It's-"

I interrupted him and fought the burning in my throat to give him hell, "Calm down? CALM DOWN? You kissed Kaiba! Kaiba! Of all the people to be gay with you had to pick KAIBA?"

"It's not like I randomly picked him out of a crowd!" The first hints of anger were leaking into the former Pharaoh's voice and it threw me off. I never heard Atem take that tone before. Well okay, maybe once or twice when he was dealing with Bakura, but it was never directed at me.

That only served to make me even more pissed off. He had no right to be angry! I was the one who had my body taken over so he could flirt with Kaiba!

"Yami-" I was cut off as he continued on.

"Seto and I are merely continuing a relationship that began 3,000 years ago Yugi. You can't begrudge us that."

I gave him a glare, "I can if it means you are using my body to make out with each other!"

I saw a spark of anger in his eyes and he opened his mouth to speak but I didn't let him continue on, "You took over my body to meet your own needs and didn't even tell me about it let alone give me a choice! You're no better than Bakura if you did stuff like that!" I saw the hurt in his eyes and felt slightly bad about my choice of wording. "Okay I'm sorry; I guess that was a little out of line. I mean you two only kissed, it's not like you had sex or anything." I forced a smile and looked down at the millennium puzzle.

Let's just say that in a million years I would not have anticipated what happened next.

Atem was silent for an awful long time and I looked up with a puzzled expression on my face, "Something wrong Atem?" I felt my heart race as I saw the extremely guilty look on his face, "A…Atem…y…you didn't…you didn't have sex with Kaiba…did you? Oh please tell me you didn't!"

He swallowed and wrung his hands together, "Aibou…"

That was the only answer I needed, "You had sex with Kaiba….in my body…"

I didn't know how to feel. My mind seemed to have shut down to protect me from the reality of what Atem had just told me.

He had used _my_ body to have sex with Kaiba. Sex. With Kaiba.

I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Things were about to get very ugly very fast.

"Yugi listen. I am so sorry. I couldn't tell you though! You wouldn't understand."

"Understand?" Even I was surprised by the even and unshaken tone of my voice. "Of course I wouldn't understand. You used my body to have sex with another man. I lost my virginity and I don't even remember it." I slowly picked up the puzzle and took it off. I didn't even want to look at the damn thing right now.

"I'm so so sorry Aibou. I really didn't think. Just seeing Seto sparked memories between us and I..." His voice trailed off as he saw the deadly look I was giving him.

I took in several deep breaths and attempted to calm myself down. Getting into a shouting match with the former pharaoh was only going to serve to make things worse on us both especially with me being ill.

I held up my hand for silence and luckily for him he complied. If I could just let this sink in and breathe everything would be okay. I just needed to calm down.

"I can't believe you betrayed me like that." I clutched the puzzle so tightly my hands began to hurt. "How could you?" My voice cracked as the first bit of emotion started to come through.

"Yugi-"

I shook my head and held my hand up again, "Just…let me think."

He nodded and I closed my eyes, counted to ten and thought my way through the situation.

Okay, so getting mad about something that happened in the past was not going to help me any. Would I have been angrier if I had found out earlier, while it was happening? The answer would have most definitely been yes. Would it have been better if he told me? Or maybe if he had asked? No and no.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I guess if there was a best case scenario for this situation this would be it.

Looking at Atem I let my shoulders slump before looking down at the golden item in my lap.

"Think of it this way Aibou, at least I didn't make you bottom."

Way to take me from nice and calm to instantly irritated again. I shot him a deadly look and he swallowed.

"Yugi I-" His eyes widened and he was cut off as the millennium puzzle came soaring towards him and he gave a grunt of pain as it nailed him directly in the chest.

Woa, okay. Hold on. Hit him? I blinked in shock, my previous anger quelled once more.

Atem looked even more shocked than I was as he looked down to the millennium item sitting contently in its former owner's lap.

"What the…" I walked over to him and gently pushed my hand against his shoulder and gave a squeak of surprise when my hand met resistance.

"Yugi…" He looked at me and I swallowed.

"You're solid…"

He nodded and I gave a wicked grin, "Good because that means I can do this!"

He let out an embarrassing squeal as I gave him a none too gentle shove and he went crashing to the floor, "That's for using my body to have sex with Kaiba you horny bastard!"

He grumbled and slowly got to his feet, the puzzle laying on the ground and his body now transparent again, "What the hell Yugi!"

I crossed my arms and smirked but my expression turned puzzled again, "You're not solid now."

He blinked and looked down at his body, "Huh….weird…" He looked at me then we both looked at the puzzle.

It sat there by my bookshelf, the sun glinting off the eye in the middle.

"You think it was the puzzle Aibou?"

"Only one way to find out." I nodded towards it, "Go pick it up."

He gave me a look then walked over and slowly reached down.

My eyes widened in absolute disbelief when his fingers brushed against the millennium puzzle and his body became whole.

He looked at me and pulled his hand away and his body went opaque once more.

"Well I'll be damned…" I almost laughed in my disbelief, "This is amazing."

"I know…" Atem grabbed the puzzle and this time put it around his neck, his body looking the same as it had 3,000 years ago.

I walked over to him and laughed as he flinched, "I'm not going to hit you." I gave him a huge hug and allowed a massive grin to grow on my face.

"This is a huge breakthrough Aibou!" He looked at me then cupped the puzzle in his hands, "I wonder how…"

"Does it matter?" I gave a joyous laugh and hugged him yet again, "You're back and that's all that matters!"

He smiled and rubbed my back gently, "Does this mean you're not mad about Seto and I anymore?"

"I'm still pissed but I'll get over it." I gave him a smug look, "Plus, now with this new development you can have sex with Kaiba in your_ own_ body," I crossed my arms and muttered, "And maybe give yourself mono while you're at it."

Atem's eyes widened as this fact dawned on him and I rolled my eyes.

He looked at the door then at me and I sighed and pointed at it, "Just go!"

He gave me a thankful look and gave a gracefully scurry towards the exit, "I'll be back later Aibou."

"Yeah, yeah I know." I ran my fingers through my hair as I watched him leave and shook my head in disbelief. I may not have let on how much him being able to be solid affected me but it did so greatly.

I was determined now more than ever to figure out what was going on and make sure no evil forces were behind it.

That was usually my kind of luck after all. Something good happens and it goes all to hell in a hand basket a week later.

Welcome to the wonderful life of Yugi Mutou.

I groaned and crawled into my bed. Now that all the excitement had wore off I realized how tired I really was.

I would start figuring out this new phenomenon tomorrow.

As for right now? Sleep sounded like a much better idea.


	17. Home

Author's Notes: Yeah I decided to update on a whim! I was debating it since I published Unexpected Consequences this week but I decided you guys deserve some more Unreal Truths. We're back to Marik again! Yay! XD Well that's all I have to say! Enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 17: Home**

**Marik's POV**

I was beyond overjoyed to see Ryou and I's house come into view and I had trouble keeping myself from just running up to the door and going in to do a swan dive on my bed.

"Well here we are. Back home with nothing to show for that hell ride we called a trip."

I scowled and turned my head to glance at Bakura, "Well that isn't my fault now is it?"

Bakura returned my scowl with one of his own and he crossed his arms, "Well actually Marik, I do believe it is your fault." At my incredulous look he continued on, "If you hadn't tackled me and sent your siblings running then maybe the trip wouldn't have been completely worthless."

"Like I would have let you get away with terrorizing the only family I have left and stealing the millennium necklace? In your dreams Bakura."

He gave a frustrated growl before pushing past me and going up to the door, unlocking it and walking inside.

I grumbled and stalked inside, almost walking into Bakura when he stopped dead right in the middle of the family room.

I peeked around him to see what had made him stop.

There, laying on the couch, was Ryou. But that's not what had us staring in shock. Lying behind him, with his hand snaked around Ryou's waist and slipped down into my roommates pants, was my darker half.

Bakura gave a click of annoyance and put his hands on his hips, "Taking my light for another test drive Mariku?"

A single amethyst eye opened and Mariku gave us a dirty smirk, not even bothering to remove his hand from Ryou's pants, "Well, well, well, look who is back! I was hoping you two died or something."

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Get your filthy hands out of Ryou's pants!" I clenched my fists and glared at Mariku who merely chuckled in response.

"Calm down Omote. You don't see Ryou protesting do you?"

"That's because he's asleep!" I stomped my foot and Mariku just chuckled.

As if on cue, Ryou slowly blinked his eyes open and looked up at me before rubbing them vigorously and blinking several more times. "Marik?" His already big eyes got bigger and a huge smile grew on his face.

I smiled at his excitement, "Yeah we're back." I looked and noticed Mariku's hand still down Ryou's pants and I scowled, "You can smack him you know. He has no right to feel you up!"

Ryou blinked in confusion before looking down and giving a surprised squeak, "Marikuuu!" He laughed and wrestled with my dark half, playfully trying to remove my stubborn yami's hand.

I stared in disbelief. That had definitely not been the response I had been expecting.

Evidently Bakura hadn't been expecting it either because he looked just as shocked.

Ryou noticed our staring and immediately his expression became more serious and he slid off the couch and to his feet.

My darker half scowled briefly but remained lying on the couch watching Ryou with a hungry gaze. I didn't like him giving anyone that look let alone my best friend, "Knock it off Mariku!"

He blinked twice then slowly turned to look at me, "What?"

"Stop looking at Ryou like he is your next meal!"

Mariku cocked an eyebrow and gave me a big grin and I swore I saw Ryou blush.

What the hell had been going on here while we were in Egypt?

I gave a frustrated growl, "Fine. Whatever, I don't care. Do whatever you want. I'm going to bed." Without another word and despite Ryou's protests, I turned on my heel and stormed into my bedroom slamming the door shut and throwing myself onto my bed.

What kind of sick fucking joke was this? I spent five hell filled weeks with Bakura while Ryou and my dark half were _bonding_? Of all the things I could imagine Mariku doing to Ryou, becoming his best pal was not one of them.

I groaned and slammed my fist against one of the spare pillows. It just was not fair at all! Ryou had never even met my dark half and had been terrified of him when we left. Now, suddenly, those two are palling around and napping together on the couch? What the fuck! Bakura and I were the ones who had a relationship together before this whole fiasco! We should be the ones lying together and enjoying each other's company.

It just wasn't fair. After the whole memory world incident and the final duel, I was the one who went in search of the millennium ring. I was the one who worked my ass off in order to find a way to bring Bakura back and yet nothing I had done worked.

Then, when he actually does return, I get treated like complete shit and taken prisoner in my own home.

I sighed and thought back to all the struggles I had endured in order to try and bring back the stubborn tomb robber with a pang of sadness in my heart. "After all my efforts…this is what I get?" I whispered to myself and stared blankly at the wall, lost in memories.

_I stared out at the Egyptian desert where the ceremonial battle had once taken place. Now there was only sand and nothingness._

_I had spent the past several hours on my hands and knees digging at the sand in a rather sad attempt to unearth the underground chamber and possibly the millennium items, preferably the ring._

_It was all in vain however and I watched as the wind blew the sand across my painstakingly dug hole._

_I felt tears run down my face as I realized how hopeless my situation was. There was no way to get Bakura back. I had no idea where to even start. Hunting the ring up was my only idea and retrieving it turned out to be a majorly impossible task._

_Why did he have to go and challenge the pharaoh to that idiotic game? We both knew it was hopeless from the start. Of course Bakura would never admit that he knew that but I know he had the same kind of thoughts I did. It was destiny. It had to happen. Blah, blah, blah. _

_I hated destiny. It had condemned me to a life underground serving a long since dead pharaoh and bearing useless and ugly scars upon my back. _

_I growled and slapped at the sand and cursed Bakura. Why did he do it? Why did he have to sacrifice himself like that? _

_It just wasn't fair._

_Deciding that I better go home before the sun cooked me alive, I stood and swathed myself in my old rare hunters cloak and held it tight, taking in the smell._

_It smelt like Bakura. I smiled and buried my nose deeper within the vivid violet material. I remember we had made love on my yacht and had pretty much destroyed the covers, leaving only this cloak to wrap ourselves in after we were finished._

_Memories of better times, that's all I had left of Bakura now._

_I wiped at my tears and slowly made my way back to our new home. Ishizu had used money she had saved up in order to buy us a new place just on the outskirts of Cairo. It was a new place for a new life. It was a lovely house. Of course I considered anything better than that tomb we had lived in for all our lives._

_I walked up the small path to the front door and let myself in. Neither Odion or Ishizu got into the habit of locking the door. I had tried to teach them but to no avail. We were just so used to being isolated that they never concerned themselves with trivial things such as locking doors. I knew our house would be a gold mine to a thief like Bakura._

_There I go, thinking about him again._

_It was an endless cycle that only lead to more and more heartbreak on my behalf._

_I went in and sat down on the couch and buried my face in my hands and let the tears I had been holding back fall silently down my cheeks. I didn't care if either of my siblings saw me. They were used to my mysterious crying spells by now. I think they thought it had something to do with my darker half and the regret I felt. _

_Oh it was regret alright; regret that I couldn't stop Bakura. Couldn't convince him to stay behind with me and run off together in search of a better life with just the two of us._

_Oh, only if it were so._

_I flinched when I felt arms around my shoulders and I heard Odion give a worried grunt. "Are you okay Master Marik?"_

_And here I thought I had broken him of that bad habit._

"_I'm fine Odion." It was a practiced lie that I spit out automatically every time someone asked me that question and Odion knew it well. Unfortunately for me he wasn't going to let it go this time._

"_Please tell me what's wrong. This isn't the first time I have found you off by yourself crying and I doubt it will be the last. Please Marik. It's scaring me."_

_I sighed and looked up into the concerned face of my adoptive brother._

"_I…I'm fine."_

"_People who are fine do not cry."_

_I began sobbing again and Odion clutched me close to his chest and rubbed my back gently, "Please tell me what's wrong."_

_I shook my head and buried my face against his cloak. I really did not want to have this conversation but I somehow found my mouth moving without my brain giving it permission._

"_I miss him Odion." I sobbed and buried my head further into his chest, "Why did he have to go?" I clutched at my brother's shirt and tugged on it lightly, "I loved him but he still left."_

_Odion didn't ask questions. He just stayed silent while I muttered on about Bakura, never using his name of course, and rubbing my back in soothing circles._

"_Who are you talking about brother?"_

_I sniffled and shook my head, "No one."_

"_You can tell me anything, you know that."_

_I looked up at him, my eyes blurred by my tears, "You wouldn't understand."_

"_I can try."_

_I was touched by Odion's persistence, but I was frightened of what his reaction would be. It wasn't like Bakura was on friendly terms with anyone but me._

"_Please tell me brother. I just want to help."_

_I then just finally shut him out and shook my head. "It's no one. Don't worry about it." I slowly got up and walked quickly back to my room and shut and locked the door before getting out a small blue and white sketchbook._

_Ishizu had bought it for me for my birthday last year and it had been sitting in my closet unused since then._

_My sister said that I had some real artistic talent that it ran in the family._

_I scowled and gently touched my back. I had a feeling why the males in our family had a knack for art and I wanted no part in it._

_I looked down at the sketchbook cover and gently ran my fingers over the white swirls. It _had_ been nice of Ishizu to buy it for me and it would be a shame to just let it go to waste._

_Sighing in defeat, I picked up a pencil and cracked the cover of the sketch pad and I smiled as the smell of new paper slowly reached my nostrils._

_I had always loved that smell._

_I lightly ran my pencil over the surface of the paper, making a rough sketch before I would do any finalized inking._

_I didn't have to think long before I knew what I was going to be drawing._

_Bakura._

_I sighed happily as my pencil seemed to move on its own accord and Bakura came to life on the formerly blank page._

And here I was, staring at that very first picture once again, my eyes scanning the pages and noting how much he has changed. How different his body is from Ryou's.

I then flipped to the back of the book, where there were a few blank pages left and began to rapidly sketch out another picture of Bakura, but this time it was him in his original body, the one he had now.

My pencil curved and glided effortlessly along the paper's surface, and slowly but surely, Bakura's figure began to appear.

I drew him as I first saw him that fateful day he returned to my life.

I became frustrated when I couldn't provide more details than the basic shape of his body and muscle tone. I had committed his old body entirely to memory from vast amounts of time touching, caressing, and licking every single inch of it, but it was different this time.

I sighed and gave up, slamming the cover shut in frustration. I would probably never get to know Bakura that intimately again.

What had happened to Battle City and the times we spent together there? Did it all mean nothing to him?

I thought back on our last night together and tried to think of any reasonable explanation whatsoever as for why Bakura had acted the way he did both then and now.

"_Let go of me Marik!" _

_I cried out as Bakura yet again shoved me away and I lost my balance and crashed to the hard surface that was the deck of my ship._

_I looked up, my eyes watering in shock, "Bakura why are you acting this way?" _

_I was so confused; it was if the former tomb robber had lost all sense of himself._

"_Can't you get it through your thick skull tomb keeper? I don't love you."_

_It felt like he had taken a knife and slammed it directly into my heart and wrenched the entire thing out, stomping and spitting on it._

"_W….what?" My mouth was slightly agape from shock._

"_Did I st…st…stutter?" He gave me a dark glare, "I don't fucking love you."_

"_B…but….the other night…" I swallowed hard. Two nights ago we had spent the entire evening on a small private island beach off the coast of Japan. We had just held and loved on each other as we watched the sun set together._

"_A minor inconvenience at best I would say." He crossed his arms and gave me a dark smirk._

_I suddenly found it hard to breath. No. This couldn't be true. Bakura…he told me he had loved me! This…this wasn't like him, something was seriously wrong._

"_B…Bakura this…this isn't…what's happened to you."_

_He shook his head and turned away from me, "Nothing Marik. I have always been like this."_

"_No you haven't!" I stomped my foot and ran to him grabbing his arm once more, "I know you haven't! You've told me you loved me every time we got together!"_

"_If you believe that then you are truly more delusional than I first thought and if I'm not mistaken, which I am usually not, then you seem even more out of touch with reality than your dark half! You're imagining things that never happened and never will."_

_I fell to my knees and clutched my head, "Bakura! Please! This isn't you!"_

_I cried out as I felt him strike me hard across the face and I fell the rest of the way to the ground._

"_Marik. I'm leaving now and don't bother trying to follow. I'm going to go fight the Pharaoh and win and reign hell down onto this pathetic planet and there is nothing you can do to stop me."_

_And with that he left. Just left. Turned on his heel, walked off my ship and straight out of my life._

I found myself crying again. This time a bit more steadily. He had been so cold that night, so different. Bakura had never hit me or even expressed any sort of hatred towards me before. It just hadn't made any sense and still doesn't to this day.

I looked at the door and sighed, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few months. Bakura coming back should have had me jumping for joy and instead it had me in my room, crying my eyes out.

It shouldn't be this way. It just shouldn't.

I threw the little notebook across the room and buried my head in my pillow and just let all the tears I had been holding back all my life come pouring out.

I do not want to live this way anymore. I refuse!

I looked to the door and frowned. Bakura would never be what he used to be and I was an idiot for believing that this whole situation would have a story book ending.

Bakura and I hated each other now and nothing would change that.

I looked up and glared at the blank wall behind my bed.

It was then I knew what I had to do, and now was my opportunity to begin the planning.

I was going to escape.


	18. Romance

A/N: Sorry once again for the mega delays. I have no idea when I will get to update next, but don't worry! This story is still going strong! Just bare with me guys! Thanks for your continued support and without further ado here is chapter 18!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 18: Romance**

**Serenity's POV**

I paced back and forth across the living room, my nerves completely shot. I couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"Serenity why don't you sit down? You're not making this any easier on yourself by pacing the room like a caged tiger."

I looked over at my boyfriend and sighed, "Sorry Duke, it's just that I am so scared, nervous and excited all at once. I don't know how else to spend this excess energy."

Duke Devlin flashed me one of his typical playboy grins and stood up from his place on the couch to walk over to me, "Babe relax. No matter what happens we are going to work it out okay?"

I smiled at him and he wrapped his arms around my shoulder and kissed my cheek, "Besides, I should be the one worrying, because if your brother catches wind of this then I am done for."

I laughed and buried my face into his neck, "Don't worry about Joey, Duke. I will make sure he doesn't do anything to permanently harm you."

Duke groaned and I laughed. To everyone's disbelief, Duke was actually a very good boyfriend. He took care of me without being patronizing.

And if there was one thing I hated about most guys is that they thought that just because I was petite and pretty I needed to be talked down to.

"How long has it been?"

I looked up at Duke then turned my gaze to the bathroom, "Long enough." But I made no move towards the bathroom.

"Well aren't you going to go look?"

I shot him a half-hearted glare before looking back at the bathroom door once again, "I will when I am ready Duke."

I heard him sigh lightly, "Serenity, if you don't-"

I cut him off quickly, "No Duke no…That's not it at all." I turned to face him, chewing slightly on my lip.

His eyes softened and he took my hand in his, "We will go look together. How about that?"

I smiled and nodded and together we walked into the bathroom.

I let go of Duke's hand to walk over and pick up the home pregnancy test I had bought this morning. I was three weeks late and was beginning to have severe nausea and even vomiting in the mornings. After confronting Duke about it we decided to buy a test and possibly prepare ourselves before going to the doctor.

I took in a deep breath before holding the test up to the light so I could better see the reading.

Duke inhaled sharply and I felt a big smile grow on my face. There they were, clear as day. The word that altered our life from here on out.

'Pregnant'.

I looked up at Duke who was still staring at the test, awestruck.

"We're having a baby…"

I nodded and flung the test aside before leaping into Duke's arms, "A baby Duke! We're going to start a family!"

He wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me up into a more comfortable position, "Yes we are." I giggled as he kissed my cheek and carried me into the bedroom.

A baby. I just couldn't believe it. Duke and I were having a child together.

I let out a squeal as Duke dropped me onto the bed and straddled my hips, "Duukkee! Come on now!" I playfully pushed against him as he began kissing on my stomach.

He rolled his eyes up to look at me and the hunger in those emerald orbs sent shivers down my spine.

"You know Serenity. I think this is certainly cause for some celebration."

I rolled my eyes, "I agree. Though, right now I am in no mood for your idea of celebration." With that I gave him a more forceful shove that caused him to nearly tumble off the bed.

"Alright, Alright." He put his hands up defensively and gave me one of his charming grins, "We'll celebrate when we know for sure. Though, I want to do it _before_ your brother finds out. I have a feeling that when he does this may be the last kid I will ever have."

I gave a half-hearted sigh, "Don't worry about Joey, Duke. He'll be mad at first but once he gets over the fact that his little sister has been knocked up by the guy who once humiliated him by making him wear a dog suit he will be excited at the idea of having a little niece or nephew." I smiled cheerfully and Duke paled considerably.

"He's going to filet me."

"Duke, relax. It's Joey. I think you can take him on."

Duke crossed his arms, "Not when he pulls a knife on me."

I giggled and Duke cracked a smile, "He's not going to pull a knife on you hun."

"Oh I have a feeling he will. If not a knife, he will find the nearest blunt object then proceed to pummel me to death with it."

I laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully, "Oh just relax would you? Nobody is killing anybody so long as I am around." I crossed my arms and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Damn straight it's whatever I say." I tugged on the dice earing in his left ear and then slid off the bed heading towards the door, "Now come on! I want to get to McDonald's before they stop serving breakfast. I suddenly have this strong hankering for hash browns."

* * *

**Mokuba's POV**

I looked down at the newly built virtual reality pod in excitement. It had taken me weeks to get it set up and working without either Seto or Noah finding out, but the effort was going to be completely worth it.

Slowly I ran my finger over the smooth leather of the seat before easing myself gently down onto it.

Running my fingers over the buttons for the controls, I punched in the proper codes and laid my head back on the headrest, closing my eyes.

The next thing I felt was the sensation of my mind separating from the world of reality and descending into the computer.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was surprisingly our mansion. I didn't know what I was expecting to see when I reached the virtual world, but our house hadn't been high on the list.

"Noah?" I looked around but did not see any sign of teal-haired teen.

I chewed lightly on my lip and put my hands on my hips. Where could he possibly be? Surely he noticed my intrusion into his territory.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I felt arms slink around my shoulders and a voice whispered in my ear, "It's about time you got your ass in here." He brushed his lips against my neck and I shook my head and chuckled.

This may have been my first trip into the virtual realm in years, but that didn't mean Noah and I didn't interact on a daily basis and become even closer.

Encouraged by Yugi, I began to slowly reveal my feelings to Noah and had been pleasantly surprised by the results.

I turned and gave the original Kaiba heir a gentle shove and he grinned in return.

"Well Noah? Aren't you…." I trailed off as I noticed a very significant difference in his appearance.

He crossed his arms and allowed a grin to slowly creep on his face as I studied him carefully.

The first thing I noticed was that he was standing eye level with me.

Last time I checked Noah was just barely above my height, and that was nearly 3 years ago, and I had had a major growth spurt since then.

That wasn't the only difference however. Now that I was staring him face to face he looked…older. Much more like his actual age of twenty than the ten year old body he had greeted us with in the virtual world.

I blushed when I found the first words out of my mouth were, "You look different."

Noah chuckled and tilted his head to the side, "Really now?"

All I could do was stupidly nod my head up and down in response.

He rolled his eyes, "I was planning on surprising you, but it looks like you got the jump on me." It was then he took me into his arms and kissed along my jaw, "And I cannot express how ecstatic I am to see you here."

I gave out a light moan of pleasure and wrapped my own arms around him. I had waited so long to be able to do this, "I've been working on this ever since you came back."

He gave a mumbled reply and suddenly the scenery flickered and changed to my bedroom.

Two minutes here and the horny little freak was trying to get me into bed.

"Noahhh," I laughed as he pulled us onto the bed and chuckled deeply.

"You can't imagine how bad I've wanted to get you in this position." He pinned me down and swung his leg over me, straddling my waist and beginning to unbutton my shirt.

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea." I didn't stop him though. I think I wanted it as bad as he did.

"Do you hm?" He gave an impatient sound, "This is just taking too long."

I gave a cry of surprise when we both suddenly found ourselves naked.

"Much better." He purred and ran his fingers lightly down my chest, "Ah the sweet advantage of living in a world completely under my control."

I couldn't stop the shudder that ran through my body and my breath hitched as Noah's fingers found my semi-erect length.

Noah gave an approving hum before he gripped me and began to stroke, "Feel good?"

Once again I was rendered unable to do anything but nod.

Noah gave me a dark grin, "Excellent."

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

I don't know how long I slept for, but judging by how tired I was when I work up, it hadn't been enough.

I groaned as suddenly the drapes were pulled aside and the sun began beating down on my face.

"Gramps, I told you, I have mono. I need sleep! Now would you please shut those curtains?"

"Aw Yugi-kun! You'll never get better hiding under the covers in this dark damp room! You need to let the sunshine in!"

Okay…that definitely did not sound like my grandpa.

I immediately whipped the covers back and sat straight up, looking towards the direction of the voice.

"…Rebecca?"

The young American champion was leaning on the wall against my window with a big smile on her face and her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.

"You got it right!" She pushed off the wall and did a running leap onto my bed, giving me a huge hug in the process.

"Rebecca!" I laughed and gave her a hug back, "When did you get here?"

"Just about an hour ago! Took forever for me to get through customs." She rolled her eyes but smiled wide at me, "But it was so totally worth it!"

I still couldn't believe my eyes, "So what are you doing here? You said you wouldn't be able to come until the fall!"

"I know! But things got turned all around and I ended up being able to graduate early! Sooo, I decided, why not come and surprise my Yugi-kins!" She looked me over, "Though you don't look so good. What's that you said about having mono?"

I let go of Rebecca and leaned back into my stack of pillows, "Yeah. I came down with mono."

She sat back onto her knees and crossed her arms, "The _kissing_ disease? Is there something about you I don't know Yugi?"

I shook my head and laughed, "No, no, I just…" I trailed off, wondering whether or not I should tell her about Atem.

Damn girls and their ability to pick up on the slightest issue.

"What? Is there something wrong?" She tilted her head and took my hands in hers, her eyes softening.

"No I just..." I sighed and looked into her loving gaze.

She blinked, obviously patiently waiting for me to continue on.

"I don't know Becky honestly." I decided it would be best on both my extremely sore throat and frayed nerves if I just didn't tell her. Not yet at least.

She gave me an adorable pout but it wasn't going to work on me, "Seriously I don't know. You don't always get mono from kissing Becks, I probably just picked it up somewhere."

She sighed but gave in, shaking her head.

"Hey," I put my hands on her lap and smiled, "There is also some good news you haven't heard about!"

Her eyes immediately brightened, "Tell me!"

I grinned and resituated myself and decided I may as well skip right to the point. Rebecca was not the type to like unnecessary babbling, "Okay, so, about several weeks ago, I came home to find the millennium puzzle sitting on my dresser."

She stared at me, the shock and disbelief showing clearly on her face, "The millennium puzzle? As in _the_ millennium puzzle?"

I nodded and she whistled, "I would say you were full of shit if I hadn't seen half the stuff I have with you."

I couldn't help but laugh, "I know right?"

She looked around the room then back at me, "Well where is it now? I figured that thing would be glued to your chest."

"Well, that's another part of this crazy story." I ran my fingers through my hair and decided that yet again the best course of action was to be blunt and to the point. "Atem has it."

The puzzle didn't shock Rebecca much, but boy this news did.

"Atem? As in, the Pharaoh Atem?"

I nodded and she blinked at me in surprise waiting for a response.

"Yeah. He kinda, came back with the puzzle. At first it was only in dreams that I saw him, but then he began to be able to appear next to me like a spirit, sort of like he could back when I had the puzzle originally. And, well, today he made me mad and so I threw the puzzle at him and it hit his chest! Hit him Becky!" I couldn't help it, I was beginning to get really excited. "Turns out whenever he touched the puzzle, his body would go solid!"

She interrupted me, "You threw the puzzle at him? Jeez Yugi."

I gave her a look, "He was making me mad!"

Rebecca frowned and opened her mouth to speak but I held my hand up to silence her.

"As I was saying…long story short, Atem is back and he has his own body now thanks to the millennium puzzle."

She tilted her head, "Well where is he now?"

Think Yugi think, "Um, he went to go see….Kaiba." Yeah I didn't have this lying thing down completely yet.

"Kaiba?"

I nodded, "Just…don't ask."

She looked like she wanted to press the issue but thankfully she let it go.

"So that's the story so far." I pulled her into a hug and she squeaked as I dragged her down on the bed beside me, "Man, I am sooo glad you are here." I faked a cough, "I feel sick and I need someone who is willing to take care of me."

I knew she would totally take that bait.

"Oh of _course_ I will take care of my Yugi-kun!" She grinned and scurried out of the bed, "I will make you some soup to make that throat feel better!"

Everything I had told her apparently forgotten, I watched as Rebecca skipped out of my room, going on about all the different ways she was going to make me feel 'all better'.

I smiled and cuddled further down into the covers. The surprises just never ended.

I just hoped they continued to be pleasant.


	19. Questions

A/N: I have been working my butt of to try and get chapters written so that when school starts again I don't get in a slump. My updates will still be infrequent but they will be there. I will not abandon any of my stories so you don't need to worry about that. So…today, I would like to wish you all who celebrate it a Happy Thanksgiving and in order to show how thankful I am for all my readers and reviewers, you get chapter 19 almost a week early. So I hope you enjoy!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 19: Questions**

**Ryou's POV**

I watched in distress as Marik retreated to his room in anger. After weeks of not seeing him and not knowing whether he and Bakura were even alive or not, he finally returns and this is the response I get? It confused me. Though, granted the fact that Mariku had had his hand down my pants could not have possibly helped the situation any. I looked to Mariku, who gave a light shrug of his shoulders and I heaved a light sigh.

"I'm going to go and talk to him." I ran my fingers through my long mane of white hair and walked back to Marik's room. Taking a deep breath I gathered my wits and knocked on the door, speaking softly, "Marik? Can I come in?"

I listened hard but didn't hear any movement from within. Letting out a small sigh, I raised my fist to knock again and was startled as the door creaked open before I could hit the door.

Marik stood there, looking at me with a bleary expression and watery eyes.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and looked down at the hardwood floor, "Can we talk?"

He didn't respond verbally, but he looked down both ends of the hallway before moving back into the bedroom, beckoning me to follow.

I walked in, closing the door behind me and watched as Marik took a seat on the bed and fixed me with an unreadable gaze.

I fidgeted nervously before moving to take a seat beside him.

"Marik listen, I-"

"Ryou, have you ever been in love?"

I blinked in shock at the seemingly random question, "W…What?"

Marik looked down at his hands and fiddled with one of the golden rings on his fingers, which he seemed to do whenever he was on edge or nervous.

Finally after a few agonizing seconds of awkward silence he looked up, his eyes meeting mine, "Have you ever been really and truly in love with someone?"

It was my turn to look down now, and initiate my own nervous habit; playing with a small chunk of my hair.

"Well, I…" I paused and really thought about it. I knew I'd had crushes on people before, both boys and girls alike, but never before had I felt anything remotely close to what I now felt towards Mariku, though I wasn't going to tell Marik that. Not yet at least. I wasn't even sure what it was that I felt for Mariku, somehow the word 'love' just felt wrong.

"To be honest with you Marik…I really don't think so."

He nodded, as if expecting the answer and turned his gaze towards the door.

"I have, and it's such an ugly thing Ryou."

I frowned and gently laid my hand on his lap, not knowing what else to do or what I should say. I didn't know where Marik was going with this conversation, but I did not like it. I may just be paranoid but I was beginning to dread that this was about more than Marik. I was getting worried that he was catching on to Mariku and I and I braced myself for an impending lecture.

Marik continued on, breaking the semi-awkward silence we found ourselves in, "You give your heart and soul to that one person. You entrust them with everything that makes you, you and they are supposed to do the same in return."

He then gave a small shudder and I saw a tear fall down his cheek, "But you have to be careful who you entrust yourself to Ryou, because sometimes, they don't give you the same thing in return and they hold your love for them over you, waiting for the perfect moment to crush you completely."

More silent tears fell down his cheeks and he twisted the comforter of the bed in his hands, his breath hitching every so often.

Somehow I believed this was no longer about Mariku and I.

"Marik…" I wrapped my arms around him and pulled my best friend into a hug.

Then something hit me. Flashbacks from Battle City, just small ones, and overheard conversations coupled with shared memories with Bakura I didn't know I had in the first place.

"…You're talking about Bakura aren't you?"

Marik leaned down and buried his head in his hands, nodding several times as he finally began to cry full out.

I should have known. I really didn't think Marik showed up on my doorstep for the reasons that he said, though I do believe that was part of it. But no, Marik had come to me because I reminded him of Bakura. It was all becoming clear to me now, and I had to admit, I was kind of hurt.

I loosened my comforting hold on him and Marik, noticing, looked up at me, his violet eyes wide and full of tears.

I didn't know what to say to him, but my anger dissipated almost immediately when I saw the intense sorrow and despair in his gaze.

"Ryou…" he seemed to realize the conclusion I had come to and a new emotion came into his eyes; guilt.

I gave a light sigh and opened my mouth to speak but Marik held his hand up to silence me.

"I know what you're thinking, that I only came to you because of Bakura, and well, you're partially right."

I looked away, fighting back the flooding of emotions that came rushing forth and I flinched slightly as Marik lightly laid his hand on my thigh.

"But Ryou, that's not the sole reason I came back to Japan. What I told you when I first arrived was true, I just…left out the Bakura aspect."

I looked up at him and his eyes were begging me to understand.

"You're my best friend Ryou…Please don't let something like this break us apart when we are most in need of each other."

Sighing, I realized how right he really was.

I offered Marik a reassuring smile and I could see his shoulders sag in relief, "It's okay Marik…we're best friends…what kind of person would I be if I turned you away at a time like this. You're right, we need each other, now more than ever and we will make it through." I gave him a confident nod and a tight hug, all previous anger now forgotten.

Marik buried his head in my shoulder and let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you Ryou…You don't know what this means to me."

I smiled and held him tighter, "What are best friends for?"

* * *

**Bakura's POV**

I watched as my former landlord walked back to Marik's room, his face set with a determined look.

Sighing, I looked to Mariku who had moved to the recliner on the opposite side of our living room, "Okay Mariku. What exactly is going on here?"

He looked at me with a cool smirk on his face, "I have no idea what you are talking about Bakura."

I scowled and crossed my arms, "Don't you try and bullshit me Marik." I realized my slip-up a fraction of a second before he corrected me.

"Mariku. I have my own name now." His expression turned irritated immediately.

I sighed and fixed him with a look, "Well excuse me mister pissy pants."

He merely cocked his eyebrow and continued to gaze at me with those unnerving violet eyes.

Giving a light groan I shook my head, "What was all that about?"

He blinked, "What was what all about?"

I was beginning to get frustrated with the Egyptian yami, "Don't play dumb. You and Ryou. What's going on?"

He tilted his head to the side, "Nothing is going on Bakura."

"You're lying to me."

"Am I?" He shifted his position ever so slightly.

"Yes Mariku, you are." I crossed my arms, "Ryou didn't seemed too turned off by your touching."

"And that is a problem why?"

This conversation was going nowhere fast, and I was beginning to get suspicious of Mariku. He seemed to be dodging all my questions, sending them off in all different directions.

"It was awful intimate touching."

"And once again, I ask your point."

I gave an exasperated sigh, "What is going on between you and my host?"

He just gave me a knowing smirk and flicked his bangs out of his eyes, "Nothing."

"Bullshit."

He slowly got up out of his chair and stalked towards me.

Now, I have never been afraid of Mariku before, but that didn't mean I didn't stay on guard whenever he was around. I would be stupid to think the psychotic yami was harmless, because he wasn't. I slowly moved my hand down to my side where my knife rested and he mimicked my movement, his left hand sliding to the millennium rod. I wasn't expecting a fight, but that didn't mean one wouldn't go down.

"Do you have a problem with me touching Ryou?"

"No."

He chuckled, "Now who is the one who is lying."

"Listen Mariku, I don't give a flying fuck what you do to my former host, he is nothing to me."

The millennium rod flashed briefly and I felt something akin to a cool breeze rush through my mind, flashes of memories and feelings arising.

A slow smirk formed on Mariku's face, "Liar."

I suddenly felt furious as the rod's glow faded, "What did you just do?"

"The same thing I did to Fluffy several days ago; accessed your memories."

"What!" I stood up and pulled my knife, "What the hell?"

Mariku had the rod out in an instant and was pointing it at me and it began to glow, again I felt the wind but this time I was prepared and the millennium ring glowed in response from around my neck, bouncing his assault right back at him.

We both cried out as a blinding light filled the room and I was assaulted with flashbacks. Memories that were mine and one that wasn't.

_The first memory I have of this world I had was one of pain, and not just any pain. It was blinding, the sort of pain that leaves a permanent imprint on the mind._

_It was traveling all through my body, though I noticed it was centralized on my back._

_I then heard a whimper and a weak voice inside my mind, 'Please, make it stop. Just make it go away.'_

_The pain may have been agonizing, but I could deal with it. This child, the one crying for help, my other self I recognized, could not. That, I realized, was the reason I was now here; to ease his torment._

"_Don't worry," I purred, "Everything will be alright, just let me take control and I will make everything okay again." What a naïve child my other self was._

_His response was immediate and I felt rather than heard it as he nodded and suddenly the pain intensified tenfold and I was bombarded by dozens of other sensations; A cold stone table underneath me as I lay on my stomach, rough rope around my wrists and ankles kept me tightly pressed against said table, a bland tasting cloth in my mouth and cold hands running along my back along with a heated and sharpened knife were all the unwelcomed feelings that accompanied me into this new world of experience._

_I immediately bit back on the scream that my other self had been in the middle of and I focused my attention on my surroundings._

_The chamber I was currently in was dark save for the flickering light of the torches that lined the walls on all sides, making it hard to see anything and the air was cold and oppressive._

_There was movement above me and I had to bite back yet another scream as the blade was once again pressed down onto the flesh of my back._

_What was going on here?_

'It's the initiation.'

_I blinked and looked around before realizing it was only the voice of my other self, resting painlessly inside of my mind._

'The what?'

'The Tombkeeper's initiation. It's a ritual every first born Ishtar son must go through._' His voice was quiet, scared, and sad._

'That still doesn't explain anything.' _My muscles relaxed as the person with the knife moved away, giving me a brief moment of clarity._

'I…it's…who are you?'

_I blinked, not expecting the sudden change in conversation. I went to respond but realized I didn't know the answer_, 'I don't know…I…think I am you.'

'Me? But…how?'

_I shrugged and immediately regretted the action as pain shot down through my shoulders and my back erupted in agony._

'I don't feel the pain anymore.'

_I gave a low growl_, 'Well lucky you then.'

_He was quiet for a moment before speaking again, his voice just above a whisper in my head,_ 'Thank you...'

_I sighed lightly and mumbled, "You're welcome…"_

_I nearly jumped out of my skin when a deep voiced rumbled in response to my mistakenly spoken statement._

"_What was that Marik? You've gone awfully quiet, are you okay?"_

'Sure, now he asks.'

_I hushed my other self, this time making sure I did it in my head and slowly turned my neck so I could see the man behind me._

"_I'm fine father. Just, fantastic."_

_I gave him an evil smirk, feeling entirely satisfied when his expression turned fearful._

_I think I was to like this _thing _called_ life.

**Mariku's POV**

_Screams pierced the night air, echoing off the buildings around me as I ran frantically down an abandoned street._

_I could not wrap my mind around the horrid sight I had just witnessed; family, friends and neighbors being forcefully horded together and then pushed into a large bubbling cauldron, their death cries deafening in the small and cramped room we were in._

_I had stood glued to the spot, unable to budge an inch or tear my eyes away from the savage scene._

_After what seemed like an eternity but was in actuality more like five minutes, I was able to realize the immense danger I was in just standing around and I bolted from the room as fast as I could._

_I inhaled deeply once I reached the outside and looked around desperately, seeking out any possible exit._

_There seemed to be no where I could turn, every house I encountered was engulfed in flames and every other street had soldiers rounding up my neighbors and friends, hoarding them toward the other end of town where I had just escaped from._

_My father's words echoed in my head, telling me to run and get as far away as I could, not to worry about him and mother, that the only thing that mattered was my safety._

_I wiped fearful and angry tears away from my cheeks. I didn't understand what was going on. We had never provoked anyone, just stealing when necessary, taking what we needed for survival and nothing more._

_I gave out a squeak of surprise as I nearly ran right into a guard and went stumbling to the ground. He looked down, eyes widening in surprise, "WE GOT A LIVE ONE OVER HERE."_

_I wasted no time in twisting my hips, flipping myself over and rolling to my feet. I couldn't afford to be caught, not now, not when I was so close to the exit._

_I ducked underneath the soldier's arm as he reached for me and pushed my already burning legs harder. If I was caught it would forever be the end of me and the Tozokuo family name, and I owed it to my father to escape, live on, and exact revenge on the Pharaoh and his men for this horrid and inhumane act._

"_HE'S GETTING AWAY!" _

_The guards were in a flurry now, all running after one frightened and frantic little child. Why would it matter if I got away? Why such the fuss? Evidently it was a big deal because they didn't let up._

_My legs started to shake, they weren't used to this much exertion and it was starting to take its toll._

_I gave out a cry as I was grabbed from behind and tugged to the ground. "I GOT HIM!"_

_I began thrashing as wildly as I could, trying my hardest to break the hold but to no avail._

_The guard sneered and tightened his hold, "Just give it up little thief, you're not going anywhere."_

_I jerked in his hold again, looking around for anything that might help me._

_It was then I saw it, a discarded dagger, lying just within my reach and I knew that I had to make a decision; kill or be killed._

_Biting past the tears and the rising feeling of dread in my stomach, I reached out and firmly grasped the jeweled dagger in my hand._

_I took a brief moment to look it over; the hilt was molded from gold and was lined along the edge in rubies with 'TK' crudely carved on the bottom._

_It was my father's._

_With a rage I didn't know I possessed, I turned and slammed the blade deep into the guards throat._

_His eyes widened, not expecting such a move from a mere child, but I was anything but a mere child._

_I pulled the dagger out and watched as the guard fell to the ground, choking on his own blood._

_I stood there, staring in horror at what I had done. I could not believe that I had just killed a man in cold blood. Life and death situation put aside, I had killed someone, and it had felt good._

_Glancing one last time at the guard, I shoved the dagger in the waistband of my kilt underneath my robes and took off running once again. _

_Finally I broke free of the walls of Kul Elna, the cold desert wind freely beating against my face._

_I continued running until I was a safe distance away before I fell to my hands and knees and threw up everything that had been in my stomach from that day, which sadly wasn't much at all._

_The hilt of my father's dagger pressed against my side and the bile once again rose in my throat and I dry heaved several times before I fell to the side, landing on my back and staring up at the night sky with a blank look on my face._

_I felt my body shudder and I bit back the tears that prickled my eyes._

_I was all alone now. Left to fend for myself. Never again would I see the faces of my family and friends, at least not in this life._

_After a brief moment of mourning I slowly got to my feet and looked off into the distance._

_This was my future now; endless desert skies and lonely nights._

_And for that, the Pharaoh and everyone else at the palace would pay dearly._

I gasped as the vision ended and I found myself tangled with Bakura on the ground.

After taking a few seconds to recover, I shakily got to my feet and looked down at the tomb robber, extending my hand to help him up.

Bakura looked up at me, his expression confused and saddened, and I saw the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

Just as I saw what memory of mine he experienced, he must have saw which one of his I had seen.

And that was one memory I am glad wasn't my own.

"Bakura…" I held my hand out to him expectantly.

He looked up at me, eyes filled with pain, "You saw that too?"

I didn't say anything and he pushed himself to his feet, shoving my hand aside.

"Bakura…"

He just shook his head and walked to the kitchen, pulling the refrigerator door open and snatching a beer from the shelf, "I don't want to hear it." He cracked the can open and took several deep gulps.

I leaned against the doorway and watched him with a blank gaze, a new feeling gnawing at the pit of my stomach.

I was getting a lot of those lately.

Bakura sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and it was then that my eyes were drawn to the dagger at his side.

It had a long and slightly curved blade with a golden hilt with ruby inlay along the edge, and at the very bottom, was the inscription 'TK'.

I must have made a sound of disbelief because he looked up at me then followed my line of sight.

Heaving a small sigh, he reached down with his free hand and pulled the dagger free of its holder, "Yeah…it's the same one…I found it in a museum…"

"So that's what you took." I smirked and crossed my arms and he grinned in return.

"Yeah this is what I took." He twirled it deftly between his fingers before sliding it back into its sheath, "I couldn't believe it when I saw it, but it is most definitely the same one." He smiled and patted the hilt fondly before taking another swig of his beer.

I nodded and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a beer of my own before leaning on the counter beside him, "Well I can appreciate a good blade when I see one, and you definitely have one there."

Bakura leaned against the sink and I joined him, both of us taking long drags from our beer cans, "Yes, my father always had an eye for quality."

We just stood there then, in a moment of silence and respect for those souls lost that night in Kul Elna. Them, and the shattered innocence of two young boys.


	20. News

**A/N: Update finally, I know right? I am sorry for the delays but I am trying to keep ahead of myself so that I don't get stuck on one chapter and have no other ones written. I am hoping to get chapter 21 up for you guys on Christmas since it finally has some light yaoi and I know everyone has probably been waiting for that. Completely unplanned as it was, a certain character couldn't keep his hands to himself…again. Alright well enjoy this chapter and sorry for the filler. It is an unfortunate part of writing a story and it just needs to happen. Thanks for all your continued support and I hope you have a nice holiday!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 20: News**

**Odion's POV**

I was grateful when the plane finally landed in Domino City airport after an agonizingly long trip from Egypt. I looked over at Ishizu and she as well looked as if she were feeling the lengthy flight.

The entire trip had been tormenting, wondering what was going on and if Marik was alright. I still couldn't manage to wrap my mind around the fact that Bakura was back, holding Marik hostage, and once again after the millennium items. We had to put a stop to it before it got too far, but there was a problem with our plan…we had no idea where to even begin.

With no clue as to where Bakura could have gone and taken Marik, we did the next plausible thing. We went to the last place our younger brother was last known to be. Domino City.

So that was where we were now, in the airport, waiting for the taxi to show up so we could go find Yugi Mutou and see if he had any clue as to what was going on, and if he didn't then we had to fill him in and fast so we could figure out some sort of plan of action.

I looked over at Ishizu and frowned. She had her head in her hands and was rubbing her temples, eyes squeezed shut.

"Ishizu…"

She raised her head and looked at me, gaze weary, "I'm fine Odion. Just thinking is all." She gently touched the millennium necklace and gave a light sigh, "It still won't tell me anything…"

I patted her shoulder and she gave me a more genuine smile, "I'm just worried about Marik, Odion. I knew we should have come looking for him as soon as we found that note."

"Ishizu…come on now, we can't baby Marik all his life. He is perfectly capable of-"

She cut me off with a glare, "Perfectly capable Odion? Really now?" She turned in her seat to face me and crossed her arms, "Because if I remember correctly, the last time you saw him he was being held hostage by the malevolent spirit of the millennium ring, who just so happens to have a body of his own now!"

"Well freaking out about it now is not going to undo it Ishizu." I'll admit she was really beginning to piss me off with her constant coddling of Marik. I knew how much he despised his sister's constant babying and I was beginning to see why. She refused to let him man up and grow a pair. Ishizu had taken on the role of mother when Marik was born and our mother died, but she seemed to have taken that role a bit too far. It's no wonder that Marik ran off.

"I know Odion but-"

This time I cut her off, I wasn't going to let her downplay Marik's ability to fend for himself anymore, "No but's Ishizu. You have treated Marik like an incapable child all his life and it's time you let him grow up! He's already proven to me that he is more than able to fend for himself. The way he fought Bakura off back in Egypt was more than impressive and I know he wouldn't let Bakura just push him around." I crossed my arms and met Ishizu's dark look with one of my own, "I know you doubt his abilities sister, but I don't. Marik can take care of himself while we find a way to get help."

She opened her mouth to respond but then shut it as our taxi pulled up to the door and she settled for muttering a quiet response of, "I just hope you are right Odion."

I grabbed our bags and walked behind her, a confident look in my eyes, "I am."

* * *

**Serenity's POV**

I sat nervously in the seat at the restaurant where my brother would be coming to meet us at any moment now.

The longer I sat there, the more nervous I became. It wasn't that I was afraid to tell my brother, it was just that I knew him and I knew that he was going to overreact. At least the one thing I could be thankful for was that it could be worse. The baby could be Kaiba's.

I glanced over at Duke who was fiddling with his wine glass, swirling the contents around and around, all while staring distantly out the window.

I sighed and looked down at my ice water in disdain. I could really use a drink right now, something stronger than water.

"Serenity!"

I turned my head and saw my brother come pushing through the crowd, knocking several people out of the way.

I groaned inwardly but smiled on the outside and gave a small wave to Joey as he approached, "Hey big brother."

"Hey little sis!"

I squeaked as he grabbed me in a headlock and ruffled my hair, "How you doin'?"

"Just fine Joey." I managed to weasel my way out of his grasp and make an attempt to fix my now tangled up hair.

Joey then paused in his tirade when he noticed Duke, "Ey man! Hows it going?"

Duke forced a smile and stood up to greet my brother before he came across the table and tackled him, "It's going good. Really good."

"Great man! It's been a long time." Joey finally took a seat at the table, much to my relief and that of the many people situated around us.

"So have you guys ordered yet? I am starving!" He plucked the menu up off the table and began skimming through it and Duke and I exchanged nervous glances.

"No, we haven't ordered yet, we were waiting for you." Duke responded for me and picked up his own menu, handing the third one to me.

I took in a deep breath and exhaled it harshly. It would be better to get this over with as soon as possible and before the food came, it would just be that much easier just in case a fight broke out.

"Listen Joey…Duke and I have something we want to talk to you about." I set my menu down and gently pushed on Joey's, lowering it so I could look him in the eyes.

"What is it?" He looked between the two of us, smiling that big goofy grin of his.

I looked at Duke and he nodded for me to go on. Sure, he didn't want to be the one to tell him, go figure.

"Joey…" I picked at a stray thread on the table cloth, looking everywhere but at my older brother's face.

"Serenity….what's wrong?"

I chewed slightly on my lip, "Well…that's kind of the thing. There isn't anything _wrong_ per se."

"Well then what is it?"

I reached out and took Duke's hand and we both looked at Joey while I prayed to God that my choice to do this in a public place wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass.

"Joey…Duke and I…we're going to have a baby."

Joey stared at me with this funny look on his face, jaw slightly dropped and his eyes wide.

This was all a recipe for disaster and I was really beginning to regret choosing this nice restaurant as the meeting spot. I really didn't want to get banned; they were the only place in town that had edible chicken parmesan.

Joey finally blinked several time and his eyes seemed to finally focus on me and he managed to close his mouth.

"Joey? Are you okay?"

I saw him take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Did I mention I was really regretting this restaurant as a choice?

"You're pregnant….with Duke's baby…"

I nodded slowly and swallowed back my nerves, "Yes Joey…I am going to have a child with Duke."

It was then that Joey slowly turned and looked at Duke.

My boyfriend had that 'deer in the headlights' look on his face, frozen to the spot by my brother's look.

"You knocked up my baby sister."

Duke put his hands up defensively, "Hey Joey listen-"

"You…took advantage of my little sister, and knocked her up."

I clenched my fists, not liking the way Joey kept classifying me as his 'baby sister'. I was no baby and I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself and making adult decisions, such as the one to have sex with Duke.

"Joey that's enough!" Both boys looked at me with wide eyes, surprised by the harsh tone of my voice.

I returned their looks with a dark one of my own and continued on, "Joey, I am you're little sister but that doesn't mean I am forever five years old! Making a baby involves two people so blaming just Duke is very immature and childish of you. I made the conscious decision to have unprotected sex with Duke and we were both fully aware of the consequences that could result. Now that I am pregnant we are fully prepared to take on the responsibility of being parents and if you want to be a part of our child's life then I suggest you grow up and be mature about this."

Joey blinked at shock at my controlled outburst while Duke smiled proudly at me and I did the same in return.

"I don't want to be mean Joey, but it has to be said. Duke doesn't deserve the scorn because we both made the decision. Plus, I don't think this is a bad thing." I smiled and reached out, squeezing Duke's hand, "Duke is financially secure and I always just wanted to be a stay at home mom and raise my kids, so it's perfectly fine. There is no reason to get upset about what should be joyous news to hear."

I saw Joey's shoulder's droop in defeat and he took in a deep breath and brushed his bangs out of his face, looking at me with a guilty expression on his face.

Satisfied, I leaned back into my chair and crossed my arms, waiting for the inevitable apology that was about to follow.

"You're right Serenity, I shouldn't have lashed out at ya." My older brother swallowed and looked down at his menu in slight shame.

"I owe you and Duke both an apology." He looked to Duke and then to me. "I'm sorry, and I am very excited to hear your news." A small smile crept onto his face and I knew that he meant what he was saying.

"Thank you Joey." I reached across the table and took my brother's hand tightly in my own and smiled gratefully at him, "It means a lot to hear you say that."

I was glad that whole situation was over with, and just in time too I realized as the waitress came over to take our orders.

Another crisis adverted, thanks to the amazing compromising skills of Serenity Wheeler.

* * *

**Seto's POV**

"_My king, please listen to me…" I walked behind Pharaoh Atem was he walked through the palace halls towards his room._

_The young king heaved a sigh and looked over his shoulder at me, expression exasperated._

"_Seto, you can call me by our first name, we're alone." He turned his head back to the front and walked up to the double golden doors that lead into his bedroom, pushing them open and walking inside._

_I quickly followed after him, pulling the doors shut behind me as I walked into the room, "Fine. Atem listen, this…this idea is foolishness."_

_He gently lifted the golden crown from his brow and set it lightly on the chest at the foot of the bed, "Seto we've talked about this."_

_I chewed on my lip before surging forward and grabbing my king and lover's hand, "I know, but maybe we need to talk about it yet again since you still seem so intent on going through with this foolish plan of yours."_

_Atem turned, grabbed my other hand and looked up into my eyes, "Seto listen." He squeezed my hands tightly, his eyes begging me to just hear him out one more time._

_I wasn't listening though._

"_Atem. This is serious. We're talking about death here."_

"_We're talking about saving an entire kingdom!" His ruby eyes flashed dangerously for a second before softening yet again._

"_I don't want to lose you…" Yeah, it was really selfish of me, but quite frankly I didn't care. I didn't want to lose the only person left that I really and truly cared about._

"_We'll meet again someday Seto, you know that."_

"_I just don't like that this is the end for us in this life…" I swallowed hard, fighting the tears trying to surface._

"_I don't either…but we can't be selfish…Just remember…I will return to you someday Seto, no matter what." He got up on his tip toes and gently kissed me on the lips, "Now come on. No more talk of this darkness…Let us live our last night together fully." He slowly pulled his cape off and dropped it to the floor._

_I knew that there was no point in fighting him, that he would go on with this suicidal plan of his and play hero, leaving me behind to pick up the shattered pieces of my broken heart all by myself._

_But, Atem was right, there was no use thinking about it anymore. There was nothing I could do to stop it so I may as well give in and enjoy my last night with my lover._

_Slowly I reached behind and unhooked my own cape and it fell to the floor with a silent rustling._

_Atem sat on the bed waiting for me, already he had rid himself of his top and other golden jewelry, his white and violet kilt the only thing that remained._

_I stood there for a moment and drank him in from the scarlet of his eyes to the toned muscles of his chest, arms and legs._

_My concentration was broken by the low chuckling of my lover, "Liking what you see Seto?"_

"_Hn, of course." I joined him in discarding my jewelry and top half of my clothing and joined him on the silken sheets of our shared bed._

_Atem moved to the side and I stretched out beside him, taking the smaller man into my arms and burying my face into his hair._

"_If only everyone got to see this softer side of you Seto."_

_I gave a light scoff but said nothing more as I ran my fingers nimbly down his arm, my mind otherwise distracted._

"Seto…"

_I looked at Atem and suddenly he looked different, eyes more alert, posture stiff._

"Seto….Seto wake up."

"_What? Atem what are you talking about?"_

"Seto! Wake UP!"

I awoke with a gasp and sat straight up in my bed, heart hammering in my chest and tear stains on my cheeks.

"Seto…oh Seto are you okay? You were tossing and turning in your sleep and muttering my name…and you were crying too…"

I blinked a few times and that's when I noticed the weight in my lap. I allowed my eyes to focus and nearly fell off the bed in shock when I was met face to face with the subject of my dream.

"…Atem?"

He smiled softly at me, and it matched his dream counterpart so well that it made my heart hurt.

"I'm here Seto…it's okay now." He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck, "I'm really here."

And that's when I really took notice for the first time.

Atem was here. And he wasn't in Yugi's body, but his own.

I shakily pulled him back for a moment and looked him over, disbelief written all over my face, and adoration all over his.

"Atem…"

He smiled and leaned in, kissing me gently on the lips, "Shh…it's okay now." I felt him smile before he once again buried his face against my chest and inhaled my scent.

Slowly I wrapped my hands around him and pulled him closer, the words from dream Atem echoing in my head.

"_I will return to you someday Seto, no matter what."_

He never was one to break a promise.

* * *

**I think I am going to start putting chapter previews at the end of every chapter, to both keep you guys wanting more and keep me motivated to have the next chapter written before I post one. So, here you go, a peek at 21!**

_**I looked up and saw the look of pure fright in the Egyptians eyes and I saw him look down at me, then at his own chest where the blood was flowing just as freely as mine.**_

**Hehe I'm so bad! See you next time!**


	21. Consummation

**A/N: Merry Christmas ya'll! As your Christmas gift you get this delicious and angsty chapter! I do hope you enjoy!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 21: Consummation**

**Ryou's POV**

_I had to keep going. I had to continue running and not stop until I reached my destination. I just knew that if I didn't move fast enough that it would all be too late and I would forever regret not being able to make it in time._

_Pushing my already weak and burning legs to move faster I heard the sounds of fighting and screaming up ahead. I was almost there. Just a little bit more._

_Finally I burst through the exit of the tunnel I was running through and into the light, squinting against the brightness._

_After allowing a few moments for my eyes to adjust, I looked towards the sounds of the fighting and my stomach dropped at what I saw._

_Marik and Mariku were locked in a heated battle, knives and weapons forgotten as they just went at each other with bare hands and feral instinct._

"_STOP IT!" I shouted and ran towards the fray, but was pulled off my feet as Bakura came up from somewhere to my side and held me back._

"_Let me go Bakura! Damnit stop! Don't you see they are going to kill each other?"_

_Bakura only increased his grip on my arm and made a low sound in his throat, "Stop your struggling Landlord."_

"_NO! MARIKU!" I cried out as loudly as I could and flung myself forward, successfully pulling myself from Bakura's grasp, "MARIKU STOP IT PLEASE!"_

_Mariku looked in my direction, his eyes widening upon seeing me, "Ryou? What are you doing here?"_

"_Mariku you have to stop! Please both of you just stop! You're going to kill each other!" I ran over and took advantage of the small gap between Marik and his darker half and flung my arms around the Egyptian yami._

"_Mariku please...Marik…please you guys…don't fight, we can work this out I promise! Just stop!" I nuzzled my face in the nook of Mariku's shoulder and nuzzled, "Please…"_

"_Ryou…" Marik's voice was harsh and rough and it sounded like he had been crying, "Ryou…move…please…I don't want to hurt you too."_

_I blinked and slowly lifted my head and turning so I could see Marik._

_Fear clenched my gut as I saw the former tomb keeper holding a gun at eye level, pointing it directly at Mariku and me._

"_Marik…put that down…"_

_He shook his head, shakily thrusting the gun at Mariku, "He has to die Ryou…it has to be done."_

"_No! You don't understand Marik! He's different now! He's changed and-"_

"_NO!"_

_I flinched, expecting Marik to accidently fire the gun in his distress, "You have no IDEA what you are talking about! You didn't even know him before he came back so you have NO room to talk! He killed my father and sent your body to the shadow realm! You of all people should learn to be wary of him!"_

_I felt Mariku wrap his arms around me and I leaned into his touch, feeling a tiny bit better but wouldn't be totally secure until we brought Marik down from his crazy outburst._

"_Step back Ryou. I don't want to hurt you, but I will be forced to if you continued to protect that monster."_

"_You wouldn't shoot me Marik…" Sadly, I wasn't very confident of that statement though._

"_I will if you are in league with him Ryou. He's dangerous. He will brainwash you and turn you against me."_

"_And he won't do the same to you?" I pointed to Bakura who evidently thought he could remain unnoticed in his little corner in the darkness. _

_Well he was wrong._

_Marik narrowed his eyes and once again shook the gun at Mariku and me, "Don't drag Bakura into this!"_

"_You're dragging Mariku into it!" I didn't know why I was doing this…defending Mariku and leaning into his touch as if we were a couple, but something about it just felt right, like it had to be done._

_Marik opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off, "You accuse me of not knowing Mariku? Well you don't know Bakura! He's an evil creep who made my life a living hell and-"_

_I stopped and slowly looked down at my chest where blood began to soak through my shirt._

_I couldn't believe it. Marik shot me and I didn't even hear the gun fire._

_I felt the pain blossom in my chest, a numbing kind of pain that didn't hurt but I knew it was there._

_My knees wobbled and I clutched onto Mariku as they threatened to give out._

_Mariku._

_I looked up and saw the look of pure fright in the Egyptians eyes and I saw him look down at me, then at his own chest where the blood was flowing just as freely as mine._

_It was just as I thought, Marik had taken us both down, the bullet going through me and hitting Mariku as well. Killing two birds with one stone I supposed._

_Finally my knee's decided it was too much effort to hold my weight and they collapsed beneath me, sending my body tumbling to the ground._

_Mariku followed soon after, falling right beside me, trying to break the fall with his arms, but they only served to give out as well._

_I reached out to him, my hand shaking and gently touched his face._

_We both flinched as a loud clatter resounded through the room when Marik dropped his gun, face full of shock at what he had done._

"_Oh God…Ryou…"_

_But I was paying no mind to him. Instead I was looking into Mariku's face, eyes full of tears._

_How the fuck did this happen?_

_I swallowed back the blood in my throat and mouth and pushed myself into Mariku's arms._

_Marik's opinion be damned, I was going to spend my last moments in the arms of the only person who showed me any sort of affection in the past few months._

"_Mariku…I…I have…" I struggled to form the words, my mind no longer able to form coherent words._

_He smiled, as if knowing what I was trying to say and he nuzzled my hand with his cheek, _"Fluffy."

"_Mariku….I…" I sighed and finally spoke the words I had been dying to say for a long time. Ever since that moment we shared the day Marik came home, laying on the couch in each other's arms and just talking about the oddest things, the urge to say them had been there, but I didn't have the feelings to back them up._

_But now I did._

"_Mariku….I think I love you." I began sobbing, disappointed that this is where it both began and ended, "You're the one…"_

"Fluffy…What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

_I blinked and looked at Mariku in confusion as I felt an odd tugging sensation at the back of my mind._

"Fluffy wake up!"

Suddenly I was thrust into awareness by Mariku who was shaking me rather violently with a concerned look on his face, "Why are you crying? Wake up!"

"I…I'm up." I swatted at Mariku and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Anything to get him to stop shaking me.

"Fluffy you're crying…Why are you crying?" He had his head tilted to the side in confusion, a look of worry on his face.

It was then I felt the wet trails down the sides of my cheeks and noticed how badly I was shaking.

"Fluffy?"

"I'm…I'm fine Mariku." I ran my fingers through my hair and sat up in the sleeping bag on the floor that had been designated as my bed ever since Bakura and Mariku arrived.

"You were saying my name."

I took in a shaky breath as the entire dream played back in my mind going high speed.

Oh god…what had I said out loud and how much of it had Mariku heard?

"W…what…did I say anything else?" I looked up at him, trying to hide the flush of embarrassment on my cheeks.

A slow smile crept onto his face and he gave me a toothy grin.

Oh god.

"You said I was the one."

"N…no…you…you must have misheard."

"Oh no." He shook his head knowingly, "I heard you perfectly fine Fluffy, and I have very good hearing. You said, 'I love you Mariku' and 'you're the one'."

Well it was true that I said that in the dream but…did I mean it?

The dream was so real and I said the things I did because I really thought I was dying.

But, did that mean I really meant them?

I pondered that over while Mariku stared at me with an unnerving gaze, waiting for me to say something.

"W…well…I…" I hugged myself and swallowed hard. So many confusing emotions going through my mind and I was getting so overwhelmed and I couldn't stop it!

I was crying hysterically before I even realized it.

"…Fluffy you're crying again."

For some reason that made me sob harder, everything bad that had happened to me in these past few months came crashing down around me and I lost control of my emotions.

Strong arms wrapped around me as Mariku came down from his perch on my bed and took me into his lap, folding me neatly into his embrace, "Did you mean it?"

I didn't want to answer, I was confused and in a fog and I was afraid that what I was feeling now was just the result of this semi-emotional breakdown I was experiencing.

But right now, I didn't care. I just wanted comfort and Mariku was providing that for me.

"Yes Mariku. Every word."

He looked deep into my eyes, violet gaze hanging on my every word and I saw hope deep within those amethyst orbs.

Our staring contest didn't last long as Mariku leaned in and met my mouth with his, the kiss everything I needed in that very moment.

We battled it out for dominance, one tongue clashing against the other, fighting for the ultimate control.

Finally, and surprising, I won the fight and I pushed my tongue into Mariku mouth, basking in the feel of his mouth against it.

Gasping, we both came up for air and Mariku looked at me with a lusty gaze.

It was then I knew that things were going to get heated, and I didn't mind that thought in the slightest.

Mariku sprang up from my makeshift bed and onto the real one, pulling his shirt off in one swift move and kicking off his boxers. I followed closely behind, fumbling with the buttons on my night shirt.

The Egyptian yami watched me with a patient gaze, already completely undressed since he only slept in an old T-shirt and boxers.

Finally I got my shirt unbuttoned and I tossed it to the side, quickly stepping out of my pants, leaving only my underwear remaining.

Mariku smiled and patted a place right beside him and I laid down.

"Top or bottom?"

Man we were jumping right into things weren't we?

Not that I minded in the slightest however.

"Bottom, I will let the more experienced man take control." I smiled and Mariku laughed, giving me a quick kiss on the lips before pulling down my boxers, leaving me completely exposed.

I felt my face flush bright red as Mariku's eyes wandered my body, drinking up every inch.

"Your body is as delicious as I always imagined it would be Ryou Bakura."

I gave out a shudder as he let his hand run from my chest down to my toes, "Ah Fluffy…I have been waiting for this day for a very long time and I cannot wait to have you squirming underneath me and screaming my name in pure ecstasy."

If he kept talking like that then I think I might just overheat from all the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Where is your lube?"

"Lube?" I cocked my head to the side and Mariku gave me an exasperated look.

"Yes lube, you know, the stuff you use to-"

"I know what lube is!" Feeling embarrassed by the situation let alone our conversation.

"Then where is it?"

"I don't have any." I looked up at him and gave a light shrug of my shoulders.

"Well why not?"

"Marik and I never really had any need for lube Mariku."

Mariku gave a frustrated moan and sighed heavily, "I really don't want to have sex with you without it. I don't want to hurt you."

I blinked, shocked by the amount of concern Mariku was showing, "Well…I will be okay."

"Not if you're a virgin, which you told me you were. I don't want you in pain."

"Mariku. Listen to me. I am finally ready to have sex with you and you're worried about lube? Damnit, if you don't fuck me pretty soon then I am going to get cold feet and then-"

I was cut off as I let out a squeal as Mariku grabbed my hips and centered me on the bed, spreading my legs wide with his elbows, "Well if you insist!"

I bit back a yelp as Mariku squirmed one of his fingers inside me, slowly pushing it in all the way and massaging my insides, trying to loosen me up.

"You doing okay Fluffy?"

I gave a terse nod and gripped the sheets tightly in my fists as he pushed in a second finger.

"Ow fuck that hurts."

"I told you." He gave me a 'duh I told you that look' and began moving his fingers in a scissoring motion, "Just try to relax, it will make things so much easier on us both."

"I'm trying." I let out a pained groan but tried to do as he said which was much easier in theory than in practice.

Mariku continued until he was satisfied that I was ready enough and he pulled his fingers out, "Feeling okay Ryou?"

I took a few seconds to catch my breath before nodding slowly, "Y…yeah I am ready."

Mariku nodded and began stroking himself while I leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling.

I couldn't believe this was actually happening. Mariku and I were going to have real, honest to goodness sex and I was purely ecstatic about that fact.

"Okay Ryou…just relax."

Of course him telling me that only made me tense up more.

That was definitely a bad, bad idea.

I bit back an immense scream of pain as Mariku positioned my hips and slid in without any hesitation.

Gripped the sheets as hard as I could, I tilted my head back and gasped, trying to get as much air as possible without screaming because I knew that if I let out any sort of sound of pain, Mariku would stop, and I didn't want that.

Mariku took his time, going slowly until he was completely inside, then pausing to let me adjust.

I never would have expected this sort of thing from him, considering how crazy and energetic he was all the time.

Giving it a minute, the pain lessened enough to where I thought I could handle it and I nodded to Mariku for him to continue.

**Mariku's POV**

I saw Ryou's nod but I still waited for a few more seconds before trying to continue.

I was feeling very ecstatic in this moment. Not only had Ryou called me 'the one' but he and I were now having absolutely delicious sex right after he said it.

Things were different since the first time he told me about saving himself for the one. These odd feelings I had for him only served to increase and I didn't know what to do with them.

Every time I was around Ryou, my chest would tighten and I would feel a fluttering feeling in my heart that was odd but pleasant at the same time.

It wasn't long before I realized this is what Ryou was talking about. Feeling more than just lust for someone and actually wanting to be with them because they are something special to you.

I hated to admit it with every fiber of my being, but I think I was in love with this kid.

I looked down at Ryou and frowned when I saw his face screwed up in pain. It hurt me to know he was in such pain when I was feeling so much pleasure.

Since when did that happen?

I sighed and began to pull completely out and was shocked when Ryou wrapped his legs around my waist, successfully stopping me from going further.

I looked down at him with a questioning look on my face and saw nothing but pure determination in those brown orbs.

"That dream made me realize something important Mariku." He took in a deep breath and touched my face gently with his one hand.

"It showed me how much I really do care about you. I may have been distracted by everything going on around me, but I realize now how much I really do care about you and…as crazy as it seems I think I may actually love you. My subconscious seems to think so anyways."

I blinked, hardly believing what I was hearing.

Ryou really did love me. He meant every word. Of course, with his morals, we wouldn't be in this position if he wouldn't, but it felt extremely satisfying to hear it out loud.

"Not to mention I have twenty years of built up sexual frustration that really, really needs to be let out."

He gave a perverse grin, which looked odd on his face but made me laugh nonetheless.

"Okay Ryou, but if it becomes too much let me know."

He nodded and let his hands and legs relax and I resituated myself so that we were both a bit more comfortable.

Slowly I began to move, staying very aware of Ryou's facial expressions so that I didn't hurt him too bad.

Once I got a set pace I began to experiment, looking for that perfect spot to make Ryou scream with pleasure.

It didn't take me long.

The next thrust earned me a startled cry of ecstasy from Ryou and he squirmed beneath me, "Ohhhh Marikuuuu God!"

Now that's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Continuing on, I aimed to hit that sweet spot and succeeded as Ryou squirmed in pure pleasure beneath me.

He looked up at me, eyes clouded over with desire, lust, and underneath all of that was love.

I smiled and reached up to begin stroking him in time with my thrusting, successfully sending the young Brit over the edge.

"Oh Mariku! Gah!" He tried to say more, but all coherent thought seemed to have been wiped from his mind.

Just the way I liked it.

A few more minutes of skillful thrusting and stroking I got what I wanted, both my and Ryou's climaxes.

I pulled out and flopped beside Ryou on his bed, both of us panting heavily and trying to catch our breath.

I turned my head to look at him and he gave me a sparkling smile.

"M…Mariku…that….was pretty good."

I could tell he was still beginning to feel the pain again, the sensory overload from climax working both ways.

"You doing alright?" I rolled onto my side and wrapped my arms around him and he snuggled into my embrace, nodding.

I smiled to myself and rested my head on his, basking in the afterglow of great sex and amazing new feelings.

For once in my life I was happy, and it was genuine, not that crazy emotion I called happiness back when I was first born. This was different, this was special.

Letting out a satisfied sigh I pulled Ryou closer and we fell asleep like that, curled up in each other's arms.

**Satisfied? I do hope so! This was one fun chapter to write. Mariku and Ryou really keep their sections moving right along for me. Wish Marik and Bakura would be that cooperative. Oh well! How about a look at next chapter hm?**

"_**Calling on my shared knowledge of motorcycles from Omote I quickly identified the break line and ripped it from the engine compartment."**_

**Sadly you can't expect updates to continue to be this frequent since I am on sort of a writer's block. I am still writing but it's very slow going. Please know I will not give up on this story and it will be finished, it just may be longer than expected. Thank you and keep those reviews coming!**

**All right! Until next time!**


	22. Searching

**A/N: I know, long time no update, but I am really struggling with school and stuff. Just hold on folks, I promise this story will get finished. I really appreciate you all staying with me. Rock on reviewers! Seriously, you guys rock my world and keep me writing!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 22: Searching**

**Odion's POV**

I looked up at the Kame game shop as the Taxi pulled up alongside the curb.

Glancing at Ishizu, she gave me a nod and we slid out of the back seat of the car.

We walked up to the main entrance and went inside, hoping to see Yugi or his grandfather behind the counter.

It wasn't Yugi, but his grandfather who was smiling at us as we walked inside.

He blinked up at us in surprise before a large smile appeared on his face, "Well hello there! I haven't seen you two in years! To what do I owe this momentous visit?"

I looked to my sister and she nodded for me to go on.

"We were actually looking for Yugi, Mr. Motou."

Solomon looked back at the door that lead to their home then looked back to us, "Yugi is sick with mono right now. He is up in his bedroom sleeping, well at least he should be." He shook his head, "That boy never listens to me."

"Oh well…could you tell him we stopped by? It's kind of important that we talk to him sometime in the near future."

"I will let him know you were here."

"Gramps?"

Solomon sighed as Yugi came walking through the doorway that lead to the house, still dressed comfortably in his PJ's, "Gramps did I hear-" He looked up to Ishizu and I and a small smile crept on his face, "Odion, Ishizu, I thought I heard your voices. I am glad I wasn't just hearing things like I originally believed." He laughed and walked over to the counter, sliding onto a chair beside his grandpa, "So what are you two doing here? Come to visit Marik?"

Ishizu and I exchanged glances with each other and I lightly bit my lip, "Well…that's what we came to talk to you about Yugi. You see…the last time we saw Marik, several weeks ago, he was…He was with Bakura."

Yugi's expression remained the same, and if anything he looked puzzled as to why we found this such a big deal.

"Well yeah…" The young king of games gave a half-hearted shrug, "He was with Bakura the last time I saw him too, though I about got my foot smashed in the door because I called him Bakura and not Ryou. Be careful if you call him by his last name around Marik, he may just bite your head off or something."

Ah, he thought we were talking about Ryou Bakura, the boy who played host to the millennium ring and in turn the spirit of the former tomb robber who shared his name.

Ishizu stepped up beside me and spoke up, "Oh no Yugi, not your friend Ryou Bakura, we're talking about Bakura…the thief and spirit of the millennium ring."

Now Yugi looked shocked.

"Bakura? Crazy ring spirit and insane tomb robber Bakura? How the hell is he back?"

"I don't know." I clenched and unclenched my fists and looked into Yugi's now worried eyes. "All I know is that I saw him with my own eyes. He was in a different body, most likely the one he had when he was human, but I knew it was him and it was confirmed when Marik called him by name. He has an aura around him that can't be mistaken."

Yugi now looked slightly panicked, "I should have known…if Atem could come back…I just should have known."

Wait…What did he just say?

"Did you just say Atem?" Ishizu looked at Yugi, her eyes wide with surprise.

Yugi blinked a few times and looked at us as if he was seeing us for the first time, "Oh right, heh guess you guys didn't hear the news did you?"

"What news?" Evidently a lot had been going on since Ishizu and I had last seen Yugi and his friends.

"The pharaoh came back…" He took in a deep breath, preparing to tell us a story he had probably told a thousand times over.

"You're going to get the abridged version right now, since I really don't know all the details." He looked at Ishizu and gestured towards the millennium necklace, "So, you guys obviously know that the millennium items have returned."

I nodded and Ishizu did the same.

"Well, not long after I got the millennium puzzle back, the pharaoh started visiting me in my dreams." Yugi took in a deep breath and continued on, "pretty soon after that, he was able to manifest in spirit form beside me for short periods of time. As time went on, he was able to stay manifested for longer and longer amounts of time. Finally, just the other day, he touched the millennium puzzle and became solid again, like, completely solid. I could touch him and everything, and so long as he was in contact with the millennium puzzle he stayed that way."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The pharaoh was back and had his own body as well. What was going on here? What supernatural forces were at work this time?

Most of all I wondered if this was ultimately a good thing?

Sure, Bakura was back but, something seemed off. For some reason that was beyond me at this moment, I felt like this was all supposed to happen and that it was a good thing he was back.

I remembered Marik's tears the days after the final ceremonial duel and his confession to me later about his relationship with Bakura and the things they did together.

It had broken my heart to hear the mourning tone in my brother's voice, and to know that the one thing that had made him truly happy was banished from this world forever.

"Okay. So…" I chewed gently on my lip, "The millennium items are back along with the spirits who once inhabited them." I gestured to Yugi, "Okay so you have the puzzle, and Ishizu and I have the necklace, scales and key. Bakura had the ring when I saw him with Marik, so that leaves the eye and rod."

"I assume Marik has the rod."

"I don't think so Ishizu." I looked at her, "He didn't have it when he was with Bakura. Now, it may have returned to him originally, but he doesn't have it anymore." I frowned, thinking all of this through out loud, "But if Marik doesn't have the rod then who does? Bakura didn't have it on him when he was with Marik, and I highly doubt he would have just let it lay at home while he went on a massive hunting trip."

"What about Ryou?"

We both looked at Yugi and he gave a small shrug in response, "Like I said, I saw Marik when I went to visit Ryou, why would Bakura leave him all alone?"

I tilted my head slightly, "Are you suggesting something Yugi?"

"Think about it Odion. Bakura wouldn't leave Ryou alone to possibly run for help, and he wouldn't dispose of him, Ryou would be too valuable to him."

I just looked at Yugi, eyes urging him to continue on because I wasn't exactly following his logic.

"What if Bakura isn't working alone?" Yugi looked from me to Ishizu with a slightly worried gaze, "What if he has help?"

"But who would help him Yugi?" Ishizu's voice sounded strained, as if she was trying so very hard to prevent Yugi's words from happening just with her well-wishing.

I paused, knowing exactly where Yugi was getting at, my stomach dropping at the mere thought of the possibility of _him_ being back.

Yugi looked at me, meeting my eyes and giving a slight nod, "Odion knows who I am talking about."

Ishizu looked to me and I gave a light sigh, nodding solemnly, "He's talking about Mariku."

"Mariku? Marik's darker half?"

Both Yugi and I nodded in tandem.

"How is that even possible though? We destroyed him!"

"Not destroyed Ishizu. Sent to the shadow realm." I looked at her, everything beginning to become clearer to me.

"So?" Ishizu looked puzzled, but I could see the gears turning and the thoughts clicking in her head.

"So," Yugi continued on, "Mariku and Bakura must have worked together in order to escape from the shadow realm."

"Where does that leave Mariku then." Ishizu looked from me to Yugi and the young king of games' eyes widened, "Ryou."

Yugi ran to the closet and grabbed his coat, throwing it on and grabbing shoes, "We have to go make sure Ryou is okay!"

"Yugi." I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stop tying his shoes, "You're sick, you can't go outside, you should be in bed!"

"We have to go and make sure Ryou is okay!"

"Ishizu and I will Yugi, you need to stay here and rest. Trust me, if we have to encounter Mariku or Bakura you're not going to be in any shape to get into a physical conflict."

Yugi gave a defeated sigh and his shoulders slumped, "You're right."

I gave a nod then added, "If we find anything useful we will let you know right away okay?"

Yugi gave a reluctant nod and I gave him a reassuring smile, "It will be okay Yugi, you don't need to worry about us."

"Alright guys, just let me know what's up okay?"

We both nodded and walked out of the shop and into the street, nearly running into the one person we never thought we would see again.

Ishizu about had a coronary.

"Pharaoh!"

The former king blinked up at us, ruby eyes wide with disbelief, and something else as well that I couldn't place.

"Ishizu, Odion." He nodded to each of us in turn and gave a slightly weary smile.

I fought back a slight frown. It seemed like even the pharaoh was having his fill of this situation.

Ishizu's smile was wide and she inclined her head in a bow, "My king, I was wondering when we would see you again."

I think I was the only one to see Atem's frown at her submissive gesture.

"Yeah, it's been awhile." He shifted his position and gently eased past Ishizu, "I hate to cut things short, but I want to check in on Aibou if that's okay with you."

Ishizu's enthusiastic smile faded slightly but she hid it instantly, "Oh of course. We'll see you another time."

Atem gave a small nod and walked inside.

I exchanged a glance with my sister and saw the confusion in her eyes as well, "Let it go Ishizu, we have enough on our plate right now. Come on, let's go and make sure Ryou is okay."

She nodded and we both walked to the car, Ishizu pulling out a slip of paper with Marik and Ryou's address on it.

"Okay, he lives about twenty five miles from here, it would be quickest to head South through the city."

"Right." I started the car and pulled out onto the road and heading in the right direction.

"…Did you notice anything…off about the pharaoh?"

I had been wondering how long it would take her to bring that up.

"Well…he did seem a little…off didn't he?"

I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye as I changed lanes.

"I don't know Ishizu, maybe he is just having a bad day. People do have those you know."

I heard her let out a light sigh, "Yeah I suppose."

Sometimes I thought Ishizu was still a little too invested in this tomb keeper thing.

Instead of speaking more on the subject I merely continued driving on, letting the slightly awkward silence hang in the air around us.

**Mariku's POV**

Waking up next to my Fluffy one was like some sort of fantasy dream come true.

Giving a smirk I looked down at his slumbering form and brushed white bangs from his face.

Last night had been absolutely mind blowing and I just hoped Ryou thought the same when he woke up.

Slowly and carefully I untangled myself from the young Brit and slid out of bed, stretching my stiff muscles.

Giving one last glance to Ryou, I smiled and walked out into the living room. Omote was still asleep in his room and I knew Bakura was most likely out on one of his daily errands; whatever that consisted of.

So that meant the house was all mine for a few hours.

Or at least I thought it was.

My head perked when I heard the sound of gravel crunching underneath car tires, the noise becoming progressively louder as the seconds ticked by. Whoever it was, was coming here, since we were the only house in the immediate vicinity.

Scowling I walked out to the living room and looked out the window as a light blue car pulled up in front of our dwelling.

I clenched my fists and watched as Odion and Ishizu got out of the car and walked up to the porch.

This had to be fixed, and fast.

I quickly made sure that the door was locked then crouched low, looking out the window to watch and see what my two 'siblings' were up to.

Ishizu approached the door and rapped on it several times. I held my breath and hoped that Ryou was a deep sleeper or else my whole plan would be ruined.

Luckily there was no movement within the house once my sister quit knocking and I watched as the two moved around to the back of the house, most likely to try the back door.

Now was the perfect time to put my plan into action.

Once I made sure they were out of sight, I snuck out the front door and over to their car, quickly popping the hood and glancing over the various different parts.

Calling on my shared knowledge of motorcycles from Omote I quickly identified the break line and ripped it from the engine compartment.

Giving a smirk, I turned and scurried back inside the house.

This would teach those two to put their noses in where they didn't belong.

Looking one last time out the door, I grinned and moved into the spare bathroom to take a shower.

Those two wouldn't be bothering us again.

**Odion's POV**

After walking around the house several times and checking all the doors and windows, Ishizu and I had come to the conclusion that no one was here, and they hadn't been here for a long time.

The grass was way overgrown and the house just looked desolate.

"I don't understand." Ishizu heaved a small sigh as we walked to the car.

"There must be something we're missing." I unlocked the doors and we both slid in at the same time.

"But what Odion? It seems like there hasn't been anyone there for quite a while."

"I don't know Ishizu, but something is up. Ryou has to be somewhere."

"Unless Bakura killed him."

I give Ishizu a sharp look and she looked out the window, "Just saying Odion, it wouldn't be above him."

I scowled and turned on the ignition, slowly backing out of the driveway, "We're going to find Ryou and Marik, and they are both going to be alive when we do."

Ishizu let out a light sigh and I pulled out onto the road and headed back towards the city, "We can't give up hope Ishizu, if we do then everyone is doomed."

"You're right Odion, I'm sorry."

I nodded and hit the brakes when a car suddenly pulled out in front of us.

Only problem was, we didn't stop.

"ODION THE BRAKES!"

"I can't stop!" I slammed my foot down on the pedal but to no avail as our car collided with the one ahead of us, sending both vehicles into an out of control spin and off the road.

Our car skidded off to the left while the other one slid right. I jerked the wheel to the right as rapidly as I could and managed to get the car into a controlled spin.

Finally we came to a stop when our back end collided with the guard rails, causing Ishizu and I to jerk in our seats.

Shakily I turned my head to looked at my sister and luckily she only looked shocked.

"You okay Ishizu?"

She gave a brief nod, "You?"

I gave a nod in return and saw her shoulders sag in relief.

Swallowing hard I leaned back into the seat and tried to catch my breath.

Something was seriously wrong. Our brakes had worked on the way over here. What had happened?

I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach as one name flashed through my head.

Mariku.

* * *

_**Phew, glad I got that chapter finished, it took a lot longer than I expected. Oh well. I promise I will try and make the upcoming ones more interesting! And now, your preview!**_

"_I stopped and reached out, running my hand along the ankh in the middle of his back and trailed my fingers down to tease his entrance, "Morning sexy."_"

**Well there you go. As usual I don't know when my next update will be but I am trying I promise. Don't lost faith; this story is still alive and kicking. Until next time!**


	23. Busted

**A/N: This is one of my pride and joy chapters and I hope you like it as much as I do. We finally are getting somewhere with Bakura, kind of. Don't worry. It really isn't much longer until the thiefshipping kicks in, I promise. Just hang in there! Until next time!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 23: Busted**

**Bakura's POV**

I sat in my landlord's living room, staring blankly at the wall and holding a cold beer in my hand.

When had things gotten so complicated?

Marik seemed so…angry and torn up inside, just the same as he had when I first met him at the beginning of Battle City.

Something had changed, but what?

I just didn't understand our relationship and what had gone wrong those last few months before my final battle with the pharaoh.

We were so close, and our relationship was going so well, but after the end of Battle City I never saw him again. No matter what I tried I couldn't reach him, and I tried everything.

Finally, running out of time, I had to go and fight that blasted pharaoh without saying goodbye, and it broke my heart to do so.

But it was Marik who had run off and not told me where he was going or what he was doing. I thought at least he would have the decency to see me off.

I even thought he would want to join me in my plans and help destroy our common enemy; the pharaoh.

But none of that had happened.

The last memory I had of Marik and I was one of the best I had of him, but it still hurt inside to know that was where it ended and I had no sort of warning.

_Marik and I were sitting on the dock of his yacht, watching as a distant island slowly came into view._

"_You know Marik…I couldn't imagine a better way to spend the next week." I smiled and wrapped my arms around the young Egyptian teen, kissing along his neck. I was actually excited to take a break from the villainy and have some relaxing time. Odd I know, but even the villains needed breaks._

"_I know. When I saw it on my way here from Egypt I knew it would be the perfect place to just get away from all the stresses of the world." He sighed and leaned into my embrace, making small sounds of satisfaction with each kiss._

"_Just wait until we rule this world together Marik, then every moment, every place will be completely ours."_

_He mumbled softly, the doubt evident in his voice._

"_Do you have no faith in me Marik?"_

_He sighed lightly and turned his head so he could meet my gaze, "It's…not that per se."_

"_What is it then Marik?"_

_He chewed lightly on his lip, eyes troubled and worried, "It's just we are up against an awful lot here Bakura."_

"_Don't you worry about a thing Marik." I gave his torso a tight squeeze, "I got this entire thing planned out and I have no chance of failing."_

"_Yeah…" I could still hear the doubt plainly in his tone and I frowned deeply._

"_Marik…" I turned him around so he faced me and I tilted his chin up so we were looking eye to eye._

"_I promise you, things are going to be different. The pharaoh doesn't stand a chance, and when he fails, we will rise to the top as the new kings!"_

_He smiled then and leaned up to give me a light kiss on the lips, "Alright Bakura, I trust you."_

"_Good." I smirked and we both turned to look at the island, which was now much closer. It wouldn't be much longer before we docked._

"_Bakura?"_

"_Yeah Marik?" I rested my hand on his lower back and he laid his head on my shoulder._

_He looked up at me, eyes uncertain, "You won't ever leave me will you?"_

_Where did that come from?_

"_Of course not Marik, don't be stupid."_

_He frowned, eyes showing a little bit of hurt and he turned away from me._

_I let out a small sigh, actually feeling guilty for acting like an asshole. Why did this kid affect me like that?_

"_Nothing could get me to leave you…Not….not even the pharaoh." I paused for a moment, letting the words sink in, and he turned to look at me with disbelief written all over his face._

"_If I had to choose…I…I would choose you over him…" I couldn't believe that I was saying this, and all the more shocking was that fact that I meant every word._

_Marik looked at me, his face holding an expression of absolute disbelief and shock, "B…Bakura…"_

"_I mean it Marik, every word." I smiled lightly, feeling good saying it because I knew it was true._

_The Egyptian teen gave a blinding smile and leaned up for a kiss and I gladly gave him one._

"_You know Bakura, you're not so evil after all."_

_I scoffed and let of go him, crossing my arms, "Shush Marik, someone might hear you say that."_

_He gave a deliciously devious grin and looked back towards the island, now just a short swimming distance away, "Yeah, God forbid someone think you capable of actually feeling something."_

"_I know! I might actually get…friends." I shuddered and Marik laughed, slipping around me to go into the captain's quarters._

"_Anything but those!" He cackled and ducked his head, going in to steer the ship to a safe docking spot while I stayed out here and made sure we didn't run into anything._

_I smiled to myself and walked to the very front of the bow, eyes set on our destination._

_It couldn't get much better than this. I had the world at my fingertips and Marik at my side, nothing could go wrong now._

At least that's what I had thought at the time.

I looked down at my beer and sighed, taking a long swig.

It hadn't been long after that moment when everything took a downwards spiral and I never got a chance to say goodbye to the one person who made my life worth living.

I finished off the rest of the beer and grabbed another one out of a cooler beside the couch.

Today was going to be a very fucked up day.

I had no idea how right I really was.

**Ryou's POV**

I woke up to the sound of the shower turning on in my bathroom.

Yawning, I slowly sat up and blinked a few times to allow my eyes to adjust to the soft morning light. I stretched and looked down to the now empty spot next to me on the bed where Mariku had resided the night before.

I smiled as I thought about him. It was true that I would have never imagine in a million years myself having sex with Marik's crazy alter ego, but I think it was because my mind just couldn't figure out the perfect scenario for me.

I was surprised that I felt none of the guilt or remorse I had expected to feel the morning after my first time, and for that I was grateful. Instead of these thoughts however, I found my mind racing through the various different possibilities of taking Mariku in the shower.

Since when did I turn into such a horn dog?

Giving a smirk, I made my decision and crept out of the bed slowly, pausing only when I felt a rather sharp pain run up my spine and into my lower back. I groaned and fell back on the bed, waiting for the uncomfortable sensation to pass. Once it did I got up again, this time much slower. The pain was still there but wasn't as sharp as the first time.

Not to be discouraged, I eased myself out of bed and slowly headed towards the bathroom, carefully opening the door so as to not make any noise.

I felt a smile grace my lips as I saw Mariku's silhouette against the shower curtain. He was going to be so surprised! I quickly took off my PJ's and kicked them to the corner as I slipped off my underwear. I suppressed a snicker and slowly crept behind him and slipped through the curtain and into the shower.

I couldn't help but admire Mariku's defined muscles and toned ass. My eyes trailed upwards and traced the scars on his back.

I bit back another snicker and slowly moved forward, the water beating down drowning out the sound of my movements.

I stopped and reached out, running my hand along the ankh in the middle of his back and trailed my fingers down to tease his entrance, "Morning sexy."

Out of all the reactions I could have gotten I definitely did not expect the one I received.

Mariku screamed and jerked back, flattening himself against the shower wall, "What the hell is-…Ryou? What are you doing!"

My stomach dropped in instant horror as I realized that I had just fondled Marik's ass instead of Mariku's.

"M…Marik! What are you doing in my bathroom?" I stumbled backwards and grasped for anything within reach to cover myself with.

Marik was doing the same thing and he tugged on the shower curtain the same time that I did. The poor thing didn't even stand a chance. The curtain rod snapped and we both yelped as the rod and curtain fell onto us.

Marik was the first to untangle himself and he climbed out of the shower and shut off the water, grabbing a towel in the process.

"What the HELL are you doing getting in the shower with someone else?" He wrapped the towel around his waist and stumbled out of the bathroom and ran out through the living room to get to his bedroom.

I grabbed my own towel wrapping it around my hips and running after him, "Marik wait! I…can explain…kind of!"

I froze when I reach the living room. Marik was standing in the middle staring with horror at the couch where Bakura sat in the middle of opening a beer.

Well shit.

**Bakura's POV**

Of all the crazy shit that has happened to me over these past months you would think that finding Marik and my landlord come running out of the bedroom, soaking wet wearing nothing but towels wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Well it did.

I blinked a few times before setting my beer down and calmly looking from one hikari to the next, "Well, well looks like I missed the party."

Marik blushed and clenched his fists, "There was no party!"

"Then why, pray tell, are you and my host running around the house half naked."

"I don't see why you're complaining." I looked up to see Mariku leaning against the door to the other bathroom, also wearing nothing but a towel.

"Well I am a little pissed I didn't get the memo." I grinned and took a long swig of my beer.

Mariku gave me one of his infuriating smirks, "It's not too late to strip down thief."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Marik, my eyes wandering his body as I silently willed the towel to fall down.

"I'm not complaining. I was just wondering why these two came running out of the bathroom like they were being chased by some man-eating predator."

Marik scoffed and crossed his arms, "Well I was just a little shocked to be groped in the shower by my best friend!"

I didn't think my former host could turn so red.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He clenched his fists, his accent becoming much more defined in his rage, "And why the fuck were you in my bathroom anyways?"

Marik nodded his head towards Mariku, "Because _someone_ was in the one I normally used."

Mariku chuckled and I cocked an eyebrow, "And how exactly did you _accidently_ grope Marik Landlord? I would say groping is very hard to do on accident, especially with Marik."

My host flushed an even deeper red and I thought for a moment that he was going to turn into a tomato or something.

Marik glanced at him, waiting for an answer.

Ryou chewed his lip and looked from Marik to me and finally to Mariku where his gaze stayed. He mumbled a response and shuffled his feet.

"What was that Landlord? I couldn't hear you."

Marik cocked an eyebrow expectantly.

The British teen swallowed hard before turning his gaze to the floor, "I thought you were Mariku."

A dead silence came over the entire room.

Marik looked like he was going to faint and Mariku just had this fucking annoying smirk on his face.

"You…thought I was…_him_?" Marik pointed to Mariku, "Why the _fuck _would you grope me if…you…thought…." Marik trailed off as his brain finally comprehended what my host had just said.

I looked from Marik to Mariku then finished off my second beer, "Well I'll be damned. I think we have a plot twist ladies and gentlemen!"

Marik glared at me and I smirked at him in return.

"This isn't funny Bakura! Ryou and Mariku are…are…" He struggled to formulate the words. Good thing we had his insane dark half to help him along.

"Having sex, fornicating, procreating, making love, copulating, reproducing_, fucking_? Any of those the words you were looking for Omote?"

Marik let out a low and dangerous growl, "Shut the fuck up!" He clenched his fists and turned on Mariku, "Just shut your fucking mouth!"

I was slightly taken aback by Marik's outburst. I wasn't aware the young tomb keeper really had it in him, though if I had ever truly seen him angry it was always directed at his darker half.

"I am so sick of _both_ of you!" Marik's eyes flashed dangerously, "You've taken _everything_ from me now, including my best friend!"

He then turned on his heel, eyes turning sad, "I hope you're happy…"

And with that he walked briskly back to his room, giving the door a violent slam.

I blinked then grabbed my beer from the side table, "Well that went well."

"No thanks to you."

I glanced up at my landlord, who was now standing directly in front of me with his hands on his hips.

"Oh don't give me that look like you think I am magically going to begin to feel guilty Landlord. It's not happening."

Ryou's frown deepened and he sat down on the couch beside me, snatching my beer from my hand before I had a chance to open it.

"You and I need to have a serious talk."

"I'd say." I glared at his hand, which was now holding my beer and glanced back up into his eyes. "I would say that you and my partner in crime have been keeping secrets from me."

Said partner in crime moved from his spot in the doorway and walked over to the couch, squishing himself in beside Ryou, pushing my former host and I closer together.

Needless to say that only served to make us both more irritable.

Ryou didn't say anything however, he merely put his arm around the crazy Egyptian and heaved a small sigh before locking eyes with me, "Bakura…"

Oh no, here comes the lecture.

"You're being a real asshole, you do know that right?"

Since when did my host grow a pair?

I gave a low growl and tried to snatch my beer back, unsuccessfully I might add.

"Landlord, give me my fucking beer."

Ryou frowned and held the can further from my reach, "Not until we have a talk."

I sighed and reached for my beer again, only to have it snatched out of Ryou's hand by Mariku. The Egyptian yami gave me a devious grin and cracked it open, taking a long swing.

"Bastard." I crossed my arms and looked to my Hikari, "Alright, start talking so we can get this over with." Since when did I just not force him to do what I wanted? Oh right, for one, he didn't seem scared of me anymore, and two, he made friends with the one who had the mind controlling device.

Damnit.

"Why do you insist on treating Marik like absolute shit every chance you get?"

I narrowed my eyes and immediately spoke up in my defense, "Woa, woa, woa! If I recall correctly, you and your insane boyfriend over there are the ones who pissed him off, not me."

Ryou's frown deepened at the word boyfriend and he crossed his arms, "Bakura."

I gave an exasperated sigh, "Why do you even care?"

"Because he's my friend that's why! You can't keep torturing him like this Bakura! Not when he loves you as much as he does!"

I was stopped short of saying anything further, my mouth gaping open slightly in shock, "What did you say?"

"I said, not when he loves you as much as he does." Ryou gave a self-satisfied smirk, evidently achieving the reaction he wanted from me.

"He doesn't love me…" At least not anymore. I had learned that the hard way when I came back to this world.

"Yeah, that's why he has pictures of you he drew himself all through his journal."

"What?"

Ryou smirked and crossed his arms, leaning against Mariku as the annoying yami chugged down my last beer, "You heard me."

"You're lying."

My former host cocked an eyebrow and looked at me, "And what would I have to gain by doing that?"

I couldn't argue with that, "And he showed you this?"

Ryou frowned, a bit of guilt showing in his eyes, "Well…let's just say I found it out by accident."

I looked back to Marik's closed door and frowned deeply, thinking about what my host said.

"It's blue with white swirls, just for future reference." Ryou gave me a look, a silent urging in his eyes and he stood up from the couch. With a final look to Mariku he headed back to his own bedroom, not saying another word.

"He's right you know."

I looked to Mariku as he too stood up.

"Omote has feelings for you, strong ones, and good ones."

"And how do you know this?" I narrowed my eyes slightly at him and he merely smirked in response.

"He's my omote." He answered then shrugged, as if it was the simplest answer in the world. "If you cared to explore it, you would find your connection to your light still exists too." Mariku looked to where Ryou had gone. "He resents you, my little light, but he wants to help and I think it would do you and Omote good to talk." He then began walking to Ryou's room, "You should consider an alternate route Bakura, and you may find there is something more you want than power."

With that cryptic remark he slipped into Ryou's room, shutting the door gently behind him.

I heaved a sigh and ran my fingers through my hair, looking down at the millennium ring around my neck.

"Damnit." I reached into my cooler to grab another beer, frowning when I remembered Mariku just chugged my last one.

Why did things have to go and become so much more complicated?

I looked to Marik's shut door and heaved a heavy sigh, my words to him echoing in my head from long ago.

"_Nothing could get me to leave you…Not even the pharaoh." _

I had a choice to make; Infinite power or the one person who made my life worth living again?

The answer was easy, but why was I having such a difficult time committing.

'Because Bakura,' my conscious, which suspiciously sounded like Ryou, responded, 'you're not going to get him without a fight.'

"Damn you Marik." I crushed my empty beer can in my hand and threw it across the room.

I should have known better when I came back to this world that I would run into the one thing that would keep me from world domination.

The one thing that I wanted more than power.

An idiot tomb keeper named Marik Ishtar.

* * *

**And now for next chapter's preview!**

_**He took in a deep shuddering breath and looked up at me with sad eyes, "Nii-sama, we have to save Noah."**_

**See you then!**


	24. Close

**NOTE!: Sorry for the confusion but there is an important note. Last week's preview was set in stone until the story went a completely different direction than I intended. Noah and Mokuba will still be here, but this chapter is going to be a wrap-up of all the side stories that were going on. That way I can focus on my three main couples. Well, my two main, thief and death, and prideshipping will still be idling in the background. I realized that these subplots were distracting too much from the main story and so they had to go. So, this entire chapter has been entirely redone, which is why the preview is all wrong and updates are slow. Don't worry though, for those few stepshippers out there, that subplot is getting its own story eventually, so just hang in there. I think I have everything straight now, it's just a matter of getting it typed up, and with finals looming in the distance idk how fast these updates are going to come. Though I do have spring break soon so I should be able to get several chapters ahead again I hope. ANYWAYS. If you read that then thank you and I apologize for the lameness of this chapter, but it had to be done. Don't worry, I will throw a bone to the prideshippers with a special scene in the end. Thanks for hanging with me and do enjoy!**

**Chapter 24**

**Close**

**Serenity's Pov**

"So what do you think?"

I smiled and turned to look at my now fiancé, modeling for him the dress of choice.

We had sped up the whole process of getting married as soon as I found out I was pregnant, first getting engaged and then beginning to plan the wedding, starting with picking out the dress.

Duke was sprawled out in front of me, lounging across two chairs alongside my brother and mother.

"I think its smokin' baby."

Joey gave a low growl deep in his throat and gave Duke a dangerous glare, "That's what he's said for every dress you've tried on!"

"I think its lovely dear." My mother spoke up, her eyes shining in happiness, "I think it is the best one yet."

I nodded and turned back to the mirror, spinning around once to give the dress another once over while my brother and Duke went at it again.

"Why is he even here?" My brother gestured wildly to my fiancé, "Isn't it like, bad luck for the guy to see the dress before the wedding day?"

I sighed and shook my head slightly, "Silly superstition brother, that's all that is." I smiled at him in the mirror and turned back around, giggling when Duke blew me a kiss.

"And what happens when you get bigger? You know, from the baby and stuff?"

I gently rested my hands on my stomach and let the assistant help me down from the stand, "We're having it tailored to anticipate the small weight gain, because it won't be all that much since the wedding isn't far off at all."

I walked back into the changing room and quickly got back into my normal clothes, thanking the sales clerk and telling her that that was the dress I had selected.

Coming back out into the main room, I was greeted with the sight of Joey in a headlock and Duke grinning madly.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the two boys; grabbing Duke's earing and tugging hard, "Alright you two, that's enough. I'm ready to go now."

Duke grinned and let my brother go, opting to instead to pull me into his embrace, "Alright then, let's go."

I nodded and smiled at my mother, who returned the gesture and stood up, "I think we should all go out and have some tea. What do you guys think?"

I gave a light smile and headed towards the door, "Sounds like an excellent suggestion mother, now let's go. I know the perfect place."

With that, I walked out the door of the salon, one hand holding my mother's and the other clutching Duke's, ready to face whatever lay before me.

* * *

**Yugi's POV**

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, running my fingers through my hair, not believing the news.

Odion and Ishizu had been in a car wreck, and right after visiting Marik and Ryou's place no less.

There was no way that had been coincidence, and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that it had to do with Marik's darkness.

I slowly got out of bed and stretched, tired of lying down, it was really beginning to get old.

"Yugi you shouldn't be out of bed."

I groaned and turned to look at Rebecca as she came walking through the door holding a tray with soup and juice on it.

"I'm fine Rebecca, really. I just need to move around a little is all."

She frowned slightly but didn't fight me as she set the tray down on my bedside table, "Alright Yugi, just don't do anything too strenuous."

I rolled my eyes and laughed and she couldn't help but smile back as well.

"I'm serious Yugi!"

"I know, I know." I took her hand and pulled her onto the bed with me, laughing at her expression, "I was just thinking is all. You know, about Ishizu and Odion."

"Ah." Rebecca got a puzzled expression on her face, "Do you really think it was Marik's crazy dark half?"

"I'm not exactly sure what I believe anymore, but it all looks awfully suspicious to me." I reached over and grabbed the orange juice off the tray, taking a small sip and wincing as it went down.

"It's a scary thought, knowing Bakura's back and all…" She looked at me and leaned back against my pillow, eyes resting on my juice cup, "But of course, the pharaoh is back too. How is he by the way?"

I took another sip of orange juice then set it back on the tray, "He's good. I haven't seen him all too much lately, he's been with Kaiba."

"Kaiba?"

I chuckled and shook my head, "Yeah, don't ask. Just don't."

Rebecca cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything further.

I pulled her into a hug and we both laid there in bed, letting our thoughts wander to different topics but neither of us speaking on them.

The silence was far too enjoyable.

* * *

**Mokuba's POV**

I gave a light groan and took my glasses off, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

It had definitely been a long day.

I had been working on this secret project of mine ever since Noah showed up and I was finally beginning to make some progress.

I took in a deep breath and spun around in my office chair, propping my feet up on the desk when it slowed to a stop.

"You look drained."

I nearly fell out of my chair in shock as my computer screen went from black to showing Noah's face.

"N…Noah!" I scrambled backwards, trying to cover up the large machine that had become my project.

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, n…nothing! Why? Does it look like I am trying to do something?" _God Mokuba could you be any more obvious?_

"It looks to me like you are trying to hide something from me."

"Heh!" I quickly grabbed a large dust cover from the top shelf and threw it over my project, successfully hiding it from Noah's view, "Nope, nothing to hide."

"Then what's with the dust cover?"

"I don't know what you are talking about Noah." I promptly scurried away from the wall and walked back over to the computer screen.

Noah was staring at me with this look on his face that plainly told me he knew I was up to something. I tried not letting it show on my face that he was on to me.

"Mokuba…"

"It's okay Noah," I decided there wasn't too much harm in letting him know a little bit, "It's just a little surprise that I am working on for you."

"For me?" He cocked a single eyebrow, looking absolutely delicious while doing so.

"Yup. Though it's not going to be done for quite a while, so you'll have to wait, but I think it will be worth it." That was if I could pull it off, which I was almost certain that I could.

"Maybe I can help you with it."

I laughed and shook my head at him, "Nice try, but no, I am doing this one on my own so you can be completely and totally surprised!"

Noah's eyes softened and a smile spread across his face, "Thanks Mokuba, that means a lot, and I am sure that whatever it is I will love it."

I smiled widely and touched my hand to the computer screen, to which Noah mirrored the gesture.

If I had any say in it, we would be together sooner than he thought, and not just in the virtual realm either.

It would be here, side by side, in the real world.

* * *

**Seto's POV**

"You know Seto, I didn't come back just so you could ignore me while you did your work."

I looked up into the frowning face of my lover and felt a frown of my own begin to tug at my lips, "I can't completely give up work for you Yami."

He gave an exasperated sigh and crawled up onto my desk, putting his hand on the lid of my laptop and slowly closing it as he crawled closer. He didn't bother correcting me on the use of his old name, it was used as a sort of affectionate term for us now.

I gave him a warning look but didn't bother to reprimand his actions, instead I let him crawl down into my lap and straddle my legs, entangling his fingers in my hair.

"Seto, I think it's time you took a break."

I gave a light sigh but conceded and wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his bottom.

Atem chuckled and kissed my neck, hm'ing in approval.

"Why is it that I have such a hard time resisting you."

Atem chuckled and yanked playfully on my hair, causing me to growl in slight pain, "Three thousand years is a long time to wait to fuck the one you love."

I gave another low warning growl, not wanting to get into the complicated workings of our ancient pasts, "Atem."

He laughed and kissed my lips, keeping his firm grip on my hair, "Yes Seto?"

"Behave. We are not having sex right now." I smacked his ass in reprimand and he gave a light yelp.

"Oh come on Seto I-"

I cut him off my roughly grabbing his hair in my fists and pulling his head back, "No. My incisions are still healing and I can still give you mono. I do not want to hear you bitching and complaining when you get sick." With that I gave him a hard shove and he plopped ungracefully to the floor.

Frowning up at me, he stood and brushed imaginary dirt off of his pants, "If that's the case then you should be in bed Seto, not sitting here at your desk doing work."

I rolled my eyes and re-opened my computer, "And sex is so less strenuous then typing on a computer."

"No but it's less stressful." He made a move to shut my computer lid again and I quickly snatched it out of his way.

"Seto, come on now. Mokuba is going to be pissed."

"Mokuba is busy on his own projects." What those were I had no idea, but I noticed that my little brother had been around less and less frequently as of late and I was beginning to wonder what his little secret project was.

Atem groaned and moved towards me menacingly, threateningly holding out his hands to snatch my computer away.

"Would you knock it off!" I pulled my computer back at the same time he lunged for it, causing him to over extend and fall into me, tipping the desk chair I was in over backwards and sending us both crashing to the floor.

I groaned and checked over my computer, which had luckily stayed in my hands the entire time. "You are very lucky that did not go badly."

Atem blinked big ruby eyes up at me in a sick imitation of Yugi and my heart fluttered a little. Guy knew how to pull off a sad face that was for sure.

"Don't fucking do that. You look like Yugi and it creeps me out a little."

Atem laughed and untangled himself from me, "Oh don't deny that if you had the chance you wouldn't have a three-way with Aibou and I."

I narrowed my eyes and stood up, shaking my head, "Never going to happen."

He gave a devious grin and crossed his arms.

"What?"

"You didn't deny it Seto."

I groaned, "I am not having a conversation about having a threesome with you and Yugi right now."

Atem laughed and hopped up on my desk, "Still not denying it! Oh come on Seto, everyone has their twin fantasy."

I rolled my eyes, "You two hardly look like twins anymore." I gave up on trying to work and closed my laptop once again and put it in my briefcase. "If not for the absolutely ridiculous hair that must run in your crazy family genes, you wouldn't look anything alike. And speaking of that, wouldn't it be incest or something if you two had sex?" I could not believe I was having this conversation. It was like I couldn't stop myself.

"Not any more than it is for us to have sex, _cousin_."

"Okay, gross." That was it. I grabbed my case and headed for the door and I heard Yami laugh and follow behind me.

"Oh come on Seto."

I glared at him over my shoulder and earned another peel of laughter from the former pharaoh. "Not funny Atem."

He grinned cheekily at me, knowing he was irritating me. I only called him by his name now when he was pissing me off. It was a nice and easy way to tell him to shut the fuck up without all the unnecessary words.

"Alright, Alright, I'm sorry." He sprinted to catch up with me then wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, "Lighten up Seto, you know I like to kid."

I scoffed but allowed a small smile to creep onto my face, "Well maybe a threesome wouldn't be absolutely out of the question.

I absolutely relished the look on Yami's face and wished so hard that I had a camera to capture the moment so I could replay it whenever I wanted. No other expression had ever been so brilliantly funny.

"Damnit Seto!" He put his hands on his hips comically, "Don't tease me like that."

"Oh come now Yami, that's half the fun of this relationship." I gave him a playful smirk and he shook his head and smiled in return.

"I love you, you know that right?"

I scoffed, "Of course." At his playful frown I allowed a small smile to form, "And I love you too _king_." The nicknames were endless.

Yami gave a satisfied grin and leaned up to kiss my cheek, and we walked back the hall and into my private office bedroom to spend some quality time together.

Who said I didn't know how to take a break?

* * *

And now, preview.

_I looked up in shock, the small sketchbook nearly slipping from my fingers, "Marik!"_

Hehe see you next time!


	25. Accident

**A/N: I decided to update early since it would be easier for me to update now rather than tomorrow, so surprise! The next few chapters are big ones, so I do hope you enjoy them! I am trying my hardest to get these chapters out quickly, but it's easier said than done. I will keep trying though and thanks for sticking by me!**

**Also! I have a poll up in my profile and I would so love your input! So please check it out! Thank you!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 25: Accident**

**Bakura's POV**

I had run my landlord's words through my head again and again the whole night long, trying to sort through my feelings and the mess that my mind had become.

I knew what I had to do, it was just a matter of getting the balls to do it.

Sighing heavily, I got up off the couch where I had made a makeshift bed for myself and headed to Marik's room.

I tried to just open the door, but as I had expected it was locked.

Not letting that deter me, I pulled out a lock pick and made swift work of the door, swinging it open within seconds.

Marik was lying on his bed, arms wrapped around a pillow and tears staining his cheeks and I felt my heart sink down into my stomach.

I had caused those tears.

Swallowing hard, I shut the door quietly behind me and grabbed the flashlight off the nightstand. It was time to see what my former host had been blabbering on about.

I began looking under the bed, finding nothing but several random clothing pieces and an empty water bottle. My next choice was the bureau drawers and closet, still finding nothing. It wasn't even in the large cardboard box with the other small journal books. There were several different colored ones, but none with blue and white swirls on the cover.

I was just about to give up and leave when something caught my eye.

There, lying squished between Marik and the pillow he was holding was a small dark blue book with white swirls on the cover.

That must be it.

I called on the skills I had acquired in my past life in Egypt and carefully slid the journal free from Marik's grasp.

The youngest Ishtar squirmed a bit, but didn't wake up.

Smirking in triumph, I walked back out of the room and made my way to my bed/couch and flopped down on top of the covers.

I definitely did not expect to see what I did when I opened the small innocent looking book up.

Picture upon picture of me filled the pages, each one hand drawn to near perfection with no detail left to the imagination.

I was immediately filled with an odd mix of guilt, horror and sadness and those feelings only increased as I went further along.

Marik had obviously spent hours on each picture, painstakingly getting them perfect down to the smallest details.

I lightly ran my finger over each drawing, careful not to smudge any of the delicate lead lines.

It was fantastic, I had no idea the youngest Ishtar had this sort of artistic skill.

As I neared the middle of the notebook, the tone began to change and his drawings became darker and he had begun to write odd and despairing things on the pages.

I quickly skimmed through those pages, the content far too un-Marik like for my tastes.

Finally I got to what appeared to be the good stuff.

Marik was back to drawing me, but this time I wasn't alone in the pictures, Marik was in them as well.

We were doing all kinds of things, most of them lovey dovey stuff, but stuff we had actually done none the less.

Pictures of us kissing or lying in bed together filled the next few pages, softening my gaze and melting my heart.

I finally reached the last pages of the sketch book. It seemed like Marik had been busy filling the blank spots up in my long absence.

The last picture drawn however, seemed recent, the pencil marks not as faded as the others in the book.

This one was also of me, but it was this body, the one I have now, not the one I had shared with Ryou for all those years.

The picture was really good, the body not as detailed as the others, most likely because we had never got intimate with me in this form.

Still, it was really good and very accurate. Very much like looking into a mirror.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

I looked up in shock, the small sketchbook nearly slipping from my fingers, "Marik!"

The young tomb keeper was standing before me with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

I hadn't even heard him walk into the room! Some thief I was.

I swallowed and looked down to my hand where Marik's journal rested and my stomach dropped, "I was, just looking at-"

"My journal." Marik's scowl deepened and a scary look entered his normal calm violet eyes.

"Marik listen-"

"You've taken everything from me." I was shocked by the utter calmness in his voice and that could only mean one thing. He was beyond angry at me, so angry that he couldn't find it in him to express his anger through tone.

"Well you can have it back-" I extended the journal outwards and gave a slight yelp when he swiped it from my hands.

"You know fucking well that's not what I meant!"

"Well no need to get your panties all worked up in a bunch." I froze when Marik gave me a deadly look.

"I hate you!" He clenched his fists tightly, "You've stolen everything! My home, my best friend, my fucking private thoughts! You even took my heart and virginity you motherfucker and look where it landed me, right back where I fucking started!" He unclenched his fists and stormed out of the room.

I did not like where this was going, not one bit.

I quickly followed the young tomb keeper out into the living room and arrived just in time to see him grab his motorcycle keys off the counter.

"You better not be thinking of driving that two-wheeled deathtrap in weather like this." It had done nothing but snow and freeze rain these past few days, certainly not motorcycle riding weather.

"What do you care?" Marik scowled and grabbed the door knob.

I ran forward as he opened the door, "Don't you dare even think about fucking leaving."

Marik scowled and walked outside, "I am doing what I want! You cannot control me anymore Bakura!"

I grabbed his wrist and was surprised when Marik successful twisted out of my grip and threw me to the floor.

"You had your chance! Now it's my turn!"

With that final comment he was out the door, slamming it in my face.

I growled and quickly rolled to my feet, whipping the door open and racing out onto the snow covered ground, yelling in frustration as I saw Marik race off on his motorcycle, without a helmet.

"DAMNIT MARIK GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" I stomped my foot and raced back inside, "LANDLORD WHERE ARE YOUR KEYS?"

Mariku popped his head out of the nearby bedroom with a questioning look on his face, "What's going on."

"Just give me the fucking car keys!"

Ryou walked out and crossed his arms, "They're laying on the table." I frowned and turned my head to look and sure enough there they were.

Giving a low growl, I snatched them into my hand and raced out to the garage, ignoring the shouts coming from Ryou.

Racing out into the cold, I quickly hit the unlock button on the car keys and nearly slid into the car door when coming to a stop.

It was very, very icy.

I quickly turned the key, the car's engine struggling to turn over.

Cursing under my breath I tried several more times before it finally started.

It was definitely too cold out for this.

I raced out onto the road, grateful that Ryou was smart enough to own a car with all-wheel drive.

Marik couldn't have gotten that far could have he?

There were no side roads he could have gone down, and the road was nothing but one straight away, save for a sharp bend up ahead.

Suddenly my blood ran cold.

"Shit Marik, you better not have gone stupid on me." I gently eased the breaks as I came up on the corner and as I made the turn my worst fears were confirmed.

There were skid marks in the snow where a vehicle went off the road and skidded down the pavement a ways before coming to a stop.

Though it was not just any vehicle, it was a motorcycle, a dark red motorcycle to be precise.

I slammed on the breaks, ignoring the voice in my head screaming at how stupid of an idea that was. As soon as the car slid to a stop, I whipped the door open and stumbled across the ice and snow towards the now totaled motorcycle.

"MARIK!" I screamed his name at the top of my lungs as soon as I confirmed that the jumbled mess of twisted metal was indeed his motorcycle.

I didn't have to look far to see a crumpled mass not far from the bike that I recognized immediately as its driver.

"MARIK?" I ran over, nearly slipping several times in the mess of snow, ice and slush.

My heart threatened to beat itself out of my chest as I got closer and saw the damage that had been done.

"Oh Marik…" I swallowed and knelt by the former tomb keeper, my eyes threatening to spill the ever growing mass of tears; it was only a matter of time before the well burst.

Marik was most definitely at the very least unconscious, and I would have thought he was dead if not for the very slow and laborious rising and falling of his chest.

There was blood everywhere, it was turning the snow all around Marik a dark crimson and the warmth of it was melting the cold matter. His left arm was twisted at an odd angle and his normally blond hair was as red as the snow around it.

"Shit Marik…" I gently reached down, planning on picking him up, but my better judgment reprimanded me. You weren't supposed to move someone this injured since he could have a spinal injury and I didn't want to hurt him even more than he already was.

Suddenly I realized that we were out in the middle of a snow storm and no one was going to come for help unless I did something. Hastily I rushed back to the car and grabbed Ryou's cell phone, dialing up the only number I could think up at the time.

* * *

**Ryou's POV**

I grumbled and moved out to the living room, "What the fuck is his problem?"

"Omote left."

I blinked and turned around to look at Mariku, who was casually leaning against the doorway to our bedroom.

"Marik left?" I frowned as Mariku nodded, "What do you mean he left?"

"He went running out when he saw the thief holding his journal."

I looked to the couch and sure enough, lying on the floor, was Marik's sketchbook, "Heh, what do you know, he actually took my advice…though it wasn't really supposed to end with Marik running out."

Suddenly I saw Mariku collapse out of the corner of my eyes, "MARIKU!"

I turned and raced to him, "Mariku! Are you okay?"

He nodded stifled and grabbed at his chest, "Omote…something is wrong with him."

"Marik? Like what? Mariku what are you-" I was cut off as the phone began to ring.

Mariku looked to the phone then back at me, "You should answer it."

I quickly got up and raced into the kitchen, picking up the phone and pressing it to my ear, "Hello?"

"_Landlord! It's Marik! Oh shit, he wrecked!"_

"Woa, woa, woa, wait a minute. Bakura? What's going on?" I looked to Mariku who was still lying on the floor, but he at least managed to get to his knees.

"_It's Marik, he wrecked his motorcycle and there is blood everywhere. He won't respond to me and he's barely breathing!"_

"Then call 911!"

"_Call what? What the fuck is 911?"_

I groaned loudly, "911 Bakura! Tell them where you are at! If Marik is as hurt as you are saying he is then we need to get him to a hospital!"

"_I don't know what to do! We are at that sharp curve right up the road from your house."_

"Okay just hold on. I am going to call an ambulance and…well I can't come and get you since you have my car, so just stay there and wait for the paramedics to come okay?"

"_Okay, I'll stay here."_

"Good." I quickly hung up on him and then dialed up 911. There wasn't any time to waste in this situation. Especially with the weather as bad as it was.

As I relayed the information to the 911 operator as calmly as possible, I looked to the side to see Mariku slowly getting to his feet, finally able to stand. The bond between him and Marik must have been a lot stronger than I originally thought.

"Okay thank you." I hung up the phone and turned to Mariku, walking over and wrapping my arms around him, "Can you tell if he is still alive or not?"

Mariku nodded, "He's alive, but barely and I don't know how much longer it's going to hold on. I am trying to feed him energy through our bond, but there is only so much I can do."

I looked up into Mariku's eyes, my own showing the disbelief I clearly felt. Mariku was giving Marik energy through the bond? I didn't know that was even possible, let alone that Mariku would do it for Marik. I thought they hated each other. This certainly put Mariku in a new light for me.

"Omote is strong, but I…" He frowned and grabbed his head, "My head hurts something awful…that's where he is hurt…"

I chewed thoughtfully on my lip and then walked to the closet, grabbing my coat.

"What are you doing?"

I turned around and looked at Mariku, "We should go to them, or at least get to the hospital. I feel so helpless just sitting here waiting for someone else to help."

"What do you mean?"

I dug my boots out of the closet and put them on, "We can be there quickly if we hurry. We will probably even beat the ambulance. There is something you and Bakura don't know about me. Before this whole fiasco started, Marik and I were in college, and I was studying medicine. Thanks to you two I have to take a year off, but I know a thing or two that can help Marik."

Mariku cocked his head to the side, "I thought you said we couldn't get anywhere without your car…"

I grabbed a set of keys off the key holder in the entrance way and put them in my mouth as I tugged on my gloves, then spat the keys into my right hand, "I have a four-wheeler."

"A what?"

I smirked at my boyfriend and motioned him to follow me, "Come on and I will show you."

* * *

**Bakura's POV**

I felt completely and utterly helpless as I stared at Marik's motionless body lying in front of me. I was beginning to get really worried, there was only so much blood in the human body and judging by the amount surrounding Marik, I wasn't hopeful for his survival.

I heard the sound of an engine approaching, but there were no sirens accompanying it, I looked up in curiosity and was surprised to see my host and Mariku approaching on what appeared to be a small motorcycle with four wheels.

They pulled up beside me and Ryou hopped off, rushing over to Marik.

Mariku slowly climbed off and approached me, stopping to stand by my side as he watched Ryou, "Did you know your light is training to be a doctor?"

I blinked in surprise, "What?"

Mariku nodded and watched as Ryou carefully looked Marik over, "He said he was going to school to be a doctor."

I never knew that about my landlord.

I guess I have a lot of learning to do.

Ryou looked up to us, a frown on his face, "He has some very severe head injuries, and I would be surprised if he came out of this alive…" He gently stroked Marik's cheeks, "Though he has made it this far, I have faith he will make it through.

Looking up as I heard sirens in the distance, I could see the flashing lights rapidly approaching.

Ryou took off his jacket and draped it over Marik, then walked over to join us, "I am going to take the four-wheeler back to the house. Mariku, you bring the car back and Bakura you ride in the ambulance with Marik. Give us a call when you get to the hospital and we will be right over okay?"

I nodded and Ryou climbed on the four-wheeler and Mariku gave me one last look before climbing into the car and starting it up.

They were both gone just as the ambulance arrived.

I gave one last look to Marik before both he and I were surrounded by people asking questions and wanting answers.

It was going to be one hell of a long night.

* * *

**And now for the next chapters preview!**

"It means he is in a deep sleep and can't be woken up." I informed Mariku quietly, hoping the doctor didn't wonder about his seemingly simplistic questions.

**Until next time! I will try not to keep you waiting too long!**


	26. Tragedy

**A/N: Sorry for all the delays but they are going to be frequent since I still have school and stuff. I'm not abandoning any of my stories, it's just going to be slow updating. Sorry for the inevitable delays but I hope you enjoy when I do update!**

**OH! And please please please vote in my poll! I always write drabbles for new stories in my classes and I wanna know what you guys wanna read next!  
**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 26: Tragedy**

**Ryou's POV**

It had been several hours now since the accident, and Mariku, Bakura and I had been patiently sitting out in the waiting area for almost five hours now.

Well, at least I had been patiently waiting.

Bakura had been pacing so much that I was beginning to think he was going to wear a hole straight through the floor.

Mariku, meanwhile, had been mostly silent, sitting with his head down resting in his hands. He had been complaining of a sharp pain in his head, contributing it to what was coming through his bond with Marik.

That of course only served to worry me more.

When I had seen Marik last he was covered in blood and laying on the side of the road like some broken doll that had been discarded. From my initial once over, it was very clear that he had at the very least a broken arm and a severe skull fracture. It was the latter one that worried me the most.

Marik had been so reckless, just rushing out of the house to get away from Bakura. He had been in such a hurry that he didn't even bother to grab a coat or helmet.

I groaned and rubbed my temples. This was not looking good, and with each passing second it only got worse.

Being in medical school for the time that I had been before Bakura and Mariku came barging into our lives had some disadvantages and some advantages.

Advantages like, say Marik did something stupid, as is customary with him, and cuts himself while preparing dinner, I could easily take care of it. Or, when Mariku decided that it would be fun to engage Bakura in a knife fight, I could take care of that as well. So far that had only happened once and thankfully neither yami needed my care.

Then there were the disadvantages, like the one I encountered today. Seeing Marik like that had only served to send my mind racing. All his injuries were catalogued in my mind and what each one meant for Marik. And after what I saw earlier, Marik's chances of pulling through this seemed rather slim.

I took in a deep breath and tried to refocus my thoughts. Marik was strong, he could make it, and he would pull through.

But of course, this wasn't the end of the bad news. As if things couldn't get any worse, I knew Ishizu and Odion would be coming. I just knew it. They were Marik's siblings after all and they would be the first ones the hospital would contact.

That meant a confrontation I was not willing to face.

I knew Ishizu and Odion were not going to be pleased to see Bakura and Mariku at all, and that was putting things mildly.

Sure, several months ago when those two first showed up in my living room after kicking my door down and invading my home, I would have gladly welcomed an intervention from the other two Ishtar's with open arms.

But now… now not so much.

Now, Mariku and I were head over heels for each other, well, at least I was for him.

I looked over at the Egyptian yami, and he gazed back with a tired yet warm and loving expression.

Okay, yes, he loved me as much as I loved him.

And as for Bakura…I looked up to the pacing tomb robber and saw the intense worry in his gaze. Yeah, he loved Marik and there was no denying it now. I knew Marik loved him back, but something had happened between them, something that put them on the wrong page of the same book and I was determined to figure it out so I could fix this stupid feud between the two so the four of us could actually live in peace.

Did I actually think those words?

Could Marik, Mariku, Bakura and I actually live in relative harmony together?

I once again glanced at Bakura, realizing that ever since a few weeks ago he hadn't mentioned a single thing about the millennium items or anything related to them.

Had he given up on his goal?

No he didn't, I understood suddenly. He merely realized what his goal really was.

I turned my head and gazed at the entrance to the emergency room.

He wanted Marik.

But did he realize this fact far too late?

"The pain is fading…"

I looked over to Mariku and his eyes were focused on me, "It is?"

He nodded and chewed slightly on his lip, as if determining whether he wanted to say what was on his mind or not.

"What is it Mariku?"

I looked up, surprised to hear Bakura speak for the first time since we arrived.

Mariku seemed equally as shocked, but he continued on with his thought, "Well, it doesn't hurt, but everything feels…numb."

Bakura frowned slightly, "Is that bad?"

Mariku shrugged with a graceful roll of his shoulders, "I honestly couldn't tell you Bakura…"

Bakura then turned his gaze to me and I mimicked Mariku's movements, "I don't know Bakura…this whole bond thing is a mystery to us all."

The tomb robber gave out a frustrated growl and began his rapid pacing across the waiting room floor once again.

I let out a small sigh and stood up, deciding to try and get some answers, though I knew what response I would get.

The people in these places were so unhelpful.

Luckily though, I didn't need to ask since the answer came walking through the door the moment I stood up.

A older gentlemen in doctor's attire walked over to our small group, his hazel eyes soft and kind, leading one to expect that he has done this more than enough times and had seen the worst and best of nearly every situation.

"Are you here for Marik Ishtar?"

I nodded and stepped up to him as Mariku sat up straighter and Bakura finally stopped his pacing.

"Are you all family?" I glanced at Bakura and Mariku and knew we wouldn't be able to pull this off properly, but I could at least try and get us all in, or at the very least Bakura or Mariku.

"Um well…" I gestured to Mariku, "That's his brother Mariku and that's…" I looked to Bakura, "Bakura, his boyfriend."

Both Bakura and Mariku looked at me with identical looks of shock, and it would have been comical in just about any other situation.

The doctor looked slightly taken aback, probably thrown off by the whole 'boyfriend' thing, "And what about you young man?"

I blinked up at him, doing my best to look sincere and heartfelt. I knew I could pull it off, Yugi had commented countless times on my ability to persuade people with my so called 'bambi eyes'.

"I'm his roommate and best friend. Please sir…what's the harm in bringing us all back, we're just concerned for Marik's wellbeing is all."

The doctor heaved a small sigh, but he turned and motioned for us all to follow, "Alright come on, but first I have to take you to my office. We have some things we need to discuss."

Uh oh, that was never good when the doctor wanted to 'discuss' things with you. But at least Marik was alive, we did know that much thanks to Mariku's bond.

Though sometimes there are things worse than death, and that's what I was afraid of.

What if he took us back here just to tell us that Marik was a vegetable, and that there was no brain wave activity and he was as good as dead anyways? What if he was just bringing us back to tell us there was no hope in some private area so we didn't make a scene in the crowded waiting room?

Mariku had said that his bond with Marik was 'numb'. Did that mean that Marik was beyond help?

I hated to even think of the possibilities.

The doctor led us back to his office and opened the door, allowing the three of us to walk in and get situated in the various chairs around his desk.

Once we were all inside, the doctor joined us, shutting the door behind him.

He slowly walked behind his desk and pulled out the chair before sitting down into it slowly and looking to each of us in turn, "Well, I am going to just cut right to the chase. If there is anything I have learned in all my years of practicing medicine, it's that the family does not often want to wait and hear me drag out what the problem is. They want to know what's wrong, if it can be fixed, and if so, how.

I looked to Bakura and Mariku and was slightly startled to see that they were both looking at me, their expressions letting me know that I was in charge here.

Swell.

Sighing, I turned in my seat and looked back to the doctor, "Alright doc, let's hear it."

He nodded solemnly and folded his hands together in front of him on his desk.

"Okay, well here's the deal. Marik is in a deep coma and has been since we brought him in."

I inhaled deeply and dug my fingers into the armrests of the chair I was in. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Coma?" I looked to Mariku, who had his head cocked to the side in curiosity.

Oh yeah I forgot, Mariku wasn't completely up to date with our terms.

"It means he is in a deep sleep and can't be woken up." I informed Mariku quietly, hoping the doctor didn't wonder about his seemingly simplistic questions.

Mariku frowned and looked at the floor, his face thoughtful.

I turned my gazed back to the doctor and nodded for him to continue.

The older man took in a deep breath and continued on, "He came in with a fractured arm and internal bleeding in his abdomen. He also had several broken ribs and of course a skull fracture. We went in and fixed the bleeding and of course the broken bones…"

He trailed off and I spoke up softly, "The skull fracture…it's really bad isn't it?"

The doctor exhaled softly and nodded, "I'm not going to lie to you son, it was one of the worst I have seen with the person still alive. To be honest, the fact that he is still breathing and there is still brainwave activity is a huge miracle in my book."

Brainwave activity, so Marik wasn't a vegetable.

I couldn't suppress the small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

"We did everything we could, though it was a very intensive surgery and well, I'm afraid we had to shave off most of his hair…"

I wasn't surprised by this, after all I had seen some of Marik's head wounds and they were really extensive, but the fact was still disconcerting. It was as if I had some sort of disconnect from reality, and none of this was really applying to me. It was almost like I was back in medical school and our supervising doctor was explaining the case of some poor sap to us for study.

I gave a solemn nod and I heard Bakura inhale sharply. I could only imagine how this whole situation was affecting the former tomb robber. After all, this whole thing was sort of his fault, but I couldn't find it in me to place all the blame on him.

I knew though that if Marik died Bakura would never forgive himself.

"All that said," The doctor continued on, "I will tell you that his condition looks both promising and poor at the same time. He is in bad shape, but given what he has endured so far I have faith that he can make it, but if he does pull through he is going to have a long road ahead of him. Now, do any of you have questions for me?"

Mariku stayed dead silent, a frown etched into his face as he stared into the floor. I assumed that most of our conversation went over the poor yami's head.

Bakura was looking at me, his expression completely puzzled and lost and it took me by surprise. Since when did Bakura EVER look at anyone like that, let alone me?

Guess that left me in charge yet again.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm the racing of my heart, "So you have no idea whether or not he will come out of this coma?"

I knew a lot about the medical profession thanks to my college days, but I wanted to ask the big questions to help Mariku and Bakura understand since neither of them seemed able to speak.

The doctor shook his head, "No, the injuries he sustained were rather bad for a lack of a better word. Even if he does wake up he will most definitely have some brain damage to contend with. Nothing too horribly debilitating but the part of the brain the controls motor functions was hit the worst. He may also have some memory loss, though we won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up. He was very lucky and must have landed just right; otherwise he would be facing much more serious brain damage than this and even paralysis. "

_Yeah, lucky if he wakes up_, I thought miserably, "So you're basically telling us that you won't know anything until if or when he wakes up?"

The doctor nodded and I looked to Bakura and Mariku, "You two have any questions for the doctor?"

A rather pointless question I knew, but I had to at least ask.

"Can we see him now?"

I blinked in shock when I heard Bakura's voice; I hadn't expected him to say a word.

The doctor turned and looked at Bakura, seemingly surprised as well, "Well, with him in the condition I really couldn't allow anyone but family inside…"

He trailed off and I pushed him slightly, hope evident in my voice, "But?"

"But….I will allow for it. He needs familiar voices now and having the three of you there and talking to him can only help the situation, not make it worse." He smiled softly and stood up.

"But if he's sleeping…he can't hear us?" Mariku spoke up, his voice soft and mumbled though.

I answered for the doctor, standing up and walking over to Mariku and wrapping my arms around him lightly and it looked for all the world like I was just consoling Marik's extremely distraught brother.

"He can hear us Mariku, I am sure of it, and when we talk to him it will let Marik know that we're here and he may wake up faster." I smiled softly and brushed the bangs from his face, so badly wanting to kiss him. He was really and truly concerned about Marik and it tugged at my heartstrings.

Mariku gave a light nod and I stepped back, grabbing his hands and pulling him into a standing position.

Bakura was watching us with an odd detached air about him and after a moment he stood as well.

I gave him a reassuring smile and turned to the doctor, "We're ready to see him now."

The doctor nodded and walked past us, opening the door to his office and walked out into the hall, "His room is down this way."

He led us straight down the hall and through two sets of double doors before we reached the ICU wing.

Pausing outside one of the rooms, the doctor turned to look at us, "It's a private room so you have plenty of space. Stay as long as you like, I will tell the nurses not to kick you out."

I nodded in appreciation, "Thank you Dr. erm…"

He chuckled softly, "Dr. Kaz. If you need anything let me know."

"Thank you." Kaz smiled lightly and left the three of us standing outside Marik's door.

Bakura bit his lip and looked at me, "Well landlord, aren't you going to open it?"

I scowled deeply at him, "Why don't you open it?"

Mariku pushed past us and opened the door himself, walking inside the dimly lit room.

Well that solved that issue.

I gave Bakura a light glare and walked into the room beside the Egyptian yami with Bakura in tow.

I inhaled sharply once my eyes adjusted to the scene in front of me.

Marik looked a lot worse than I was prepared for.

The former tomb keeper was lying motionless in the hospital bed, hooked up to various beeping machinery and IV lines. His bronze skin had paled considerably and his chest was rising and falling slowly, thanks to the breathing tube down his throat. His left arm was in a cast, there were bandages covering him in various other areas, and the top of his head was wrapped tightly. He looked so strange without all his gold jewelry.

I barely recognized him.

"Oh Marik…" I whispered softly and walked over to the right side of the bed, immediately taking his hand in mine, "I'm here Marik…its Ryou, and I'm here."

I fought the tears burning at the edge of my eyes and blurring my vision. Don't get sad, get angry.

Giving Bakura the hardest glare I could muster, I looked him straight in the eyes and actually succeeded in making him flinch, "How could you?"

Bakura then narrowed his own eyes, cold amethyst meeting hard mocha, "Don't you dare even begin to blame this on me Landlord! You're the one who directed me to that blasted journal!"

"This isn't about the fucking journal!" I shuddered, feeling the anger rise up from deep within, "This is about you destroying his feelings!"

"I did nothing of the sort!" He clenched his fists and move menacingly towards me, but I held my ground.

"You have been nothing but a total jackass from the second you got here!"

Bakura's eyes flashed dangerously, "Oh and I was supposed to come in pretending everything was sunshine and rainbows when he never even bothered to say goodbye!" Bakura gestured towards the bed and the comatose Marik.

"…Wait what?" I stared at Bakura, not understanding but something beginning to click and make sense in my mind.

Bakura took in a deep breath and look intently at Marik's unconscious form, "He never said goodbye to me…" He slowly walked over to Marik's other side and slumped down into the chair beside the bed and I just stared at him, waiting for the explanation.

Bakura gently took Marik's hand in his own and began stroking the knuckles softly, "Back when I was in the ring…we had a sort of…partnership as you know."

"Define 'partnership'." Suddenly a strong feeling of unease bubbled up into my stomach. I did not want to hear what was going to come out of Bakura's mouth.

"Well at first it was just us working as partners…both out to achieve our own ends…" He trailed off slightly and looked to me and my feelings of dread rose.

"…But then that changed?" I swallowed hard.

He nodded slowly, "We…" He bit his lip hard, seemingly struggling over the words he wanted to say, "We erm…fell in…love…" He sighed and laid his head on Marik's hand, his shoulders trembling.

"You fell in love…okay…" I didn't like where this was going. It wasn't unexpected but I felt there was more to the story than I already knew.

He nodded and kissed the back of Marik's hand, "He and I had a wonderful relationship together."

I found myself narrowing my eyes, "Define…relationship."

Bakura looked across the bed at me, "You're going to get mad…"

"When has that ever stopped you before?" I felt my frown deepen.

"Fine Landlord, you want to hear it then okay! We kissed, hell we did more than kiss, we fucked. Marik and I fucked hardcore and I was using your body."

I could not believe my ears. Bakura really was that much of a jackass; I was giving him way too much credit.

I snorted and shook my head, too mad to even comprehend everything, "Wow Bakura, just when I think you can't sink to a new low, you do."

I gently laid Marik's hand back down and stood up, the rage beginning to bubble up but I wasn't going to flip out, not here. Marik didn't need to hear that.

"Fluffy wait!" Mariku moved from his corner and walked over to me, taking my hand in his. I had forgotten the Egyptian yami was even in the room he had been so silent.

"Mariku, stay here with Marik, I need to go out and cool down before I start throwing shit." I gave Bakura a final glare before walking to the door.

Mariku looked between me and Bakura, finally deciding on staying put.

I heaved a small sigh and grabbed the door handle, pulling it open a little more firmly than I had to and walked out…

Right into Ishizu and Odion.

Things just went from bad to worse.

* * *

**Preview time!**

Odion let out a small sigh and smiled softly, "Seems like a lot has happened in these past few months eh?"

I gave a small smirk in return, "Understatement of the century."

**Until next time! Enjoy!**


	27. Explanations

**A/N: So, so, SO sorry for the long delays! I just, life has come crashing down around me and it has become much harder to write and update like I used to, but don't worry, I am not going to abandon either of my stories. I promise I will see them through to the end, plus I got some more story ideas from watching GX, so no worries. I will finish this story, and I hope to have even more time now that the summer is here. Thanks for not giving up on me and being so awesome! And now, on to the story!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 27: Explanations**

**Ryou's POV**

I froze in my tracks and stared up into the wide eyes of Marik's brother and sister.

In my rage I had completely forgot about the other two Ishtar siblings.

Odion's eyes were wide, but he wasn't looking at me or even Marik. I followed his gaze and realized he was staring directly at Mariku.

I turned and found the Egyptian yami had moved and was perched in the chair I had just vacated beside Marik; predatory bird style.

Suddenly all anger was forgotten as I found myself suddenly trying to mediate the situation.

Ishizu cried out and pushed past Odion and I, "I knew it! I should have known you were behind this!"

Bakura was up in an instant with his blade in his hand and fire in his eyes, "Watch your tongue woman, I'd say you're in a poor position to be making accusations.

I groaned and moved into the room, pushing in front of Mariku and acting as a wall between him and Odion, "Stop! Wait, don't freak out! Let us explain!"

Ishizu looked at me, her eyes wide in disbelief, "Explain what Ryou? Why Marik's dark half and Bakura are sitting in here as if they belong! My brother is in a coma and these two fiends are behind it!"

I narrowed my eyes and raised my voice, "Enough!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at me and I crossed my arms, "Now listen, I will not have us fighting in this room while Marik is laying here sick. So, we have a choice." I turned to look at Ishizu and Odion, "You can come with me outside and let me calmly explain this or we can sit in here and scream and shout at each other and subsequently get kicked out. So which one will it be?"

"I'm not letting them in here alone with Marik." Ishizu's gaze rested on me and I let out a huff of annoyance.

"Ishizu, Odion, with all due respect I am not going to have this talk with you in the same room as those two. It will only cause more unnecessary problems."

Ishizu opened her mouth to speak again but Odion held out his hand to silence her, "We should let him speak Ishizu…" He looked to Mariku and Bakura before turning back to me, "I am sure he has just as much reason as we do to hate them and if he thinks it's safe then I say we give him the benefit of the doubt."

I gave Odion a heartfelt smile and nodded, "Trust me, I only have Marik's best interests at heart here." I nodded back to the former tomb keeper then looked to Mariku, "He'll be fine." I then turned and walked back out the door, motioning for Ishtar siblings to follow me.

I led them down the hall a ways until I found an exit to an outside garden. I gave a small smile and opened the door; it would be the perfect place just in case we all lost our cool.

Walking over to a bench, I motioned Ishizu and Odion to sit beside me.

Ishizu took my invitation but Odion did not, opting instead to stand in front of me with his arms crossed.

"Okay Ryou, we're waiting for this explanation."

I nodded firmly and took in a deep breath, "Right, of course. Well…where to begin?"

"How about the reason why my brother is in the hospital?" Ishizu gave a deep frown and I shook my head.

"No…" I sighed and leaned back into the bench, "Let me start from the beginning and give you as detailed of a story as I can without any unnecessary details."

Ishizu and Odion looked at me expectantly and I began to recite the details, from Bakura and Mariku first bursting down my door, Mariku and I's newfound relationship, Bakura's struggles with Marik and I ended with the current situation.

The whole explanation seemed to take forever, though it may have only been fifteen minutes. Not like I would know, I didn't watch the clock.

When I finished my story I lifted my gaze so I could look into Odion's eyes, he seeming to be being the more understanding of the two siblings.

Ishizu fidgeted beside me, folding and unfolding her hands several times and looking intently at the floor.

Odion let out a small sigh and smiled softly, "Seems like a lot has happened in these past few months eh?"

I gave a small smirk in return, "Understatement of the century."

"So what do we do now?" Ishizu spoke up, her voice soft and timid and very unlike her.

I sighed lightly and ran my hair through my fingers, "Well, to be honest I don't know. I think though, that these complicated relationships change a lot."

Ishizu scoffed, "Honestly Ryou, I don't see how you can think that monster has changed at all."

Narrowing my eyes I turned to look at her, "Excuse me Ishizu, but I think I should be the judge of Mariku's character here, and if I say he's fine then he's fine."

"You have no idea of the things he has done Ryou!" Ishizu's voice rose to a near hysteric high, "He's killed people!"

I took in a deep breath and fixed her with a dark look, "He's not the same!"

"How would you know? You never met him before!"

"I don't care! I know what he's like now and that's all that matters!"

Ishizu opened her mouth to speak again but Odion interrupted her before she could piss me off even more, "Ishizu, stop for a minute okay? There is no use in getting all worked up over this."

"Odion-" She shut her mouth however when Odion held up his hand for silence.

"Just stop okay? Let's talk this through the mature adults we all are."

Ishizu sighed and nodded, "Right, sorry."

I gave a brief nod myself before turning back to look at Odion, "Okay well…to be honest, I don't think Mariku and Bakura are threats to any of us anymore. Mariku is very content with being my boyfriend and I think he gave up on the whole conquering the world thing long ago."

Odion didn't look completely convinced but he went along with me anyways, "And what about Bakura?"

"Bakura won't be an issue either, of that I am almost completely positive. His priority is Marik now, and I think it will continue to be that way." I ran my left hand through my hair, "Though I don't think he knows it yet. We just need to give him time to warm back up to the idea that he loves Marik and always has, and we need to get those two to fix this rut their relationship is currently in."

"This is insanity!" Ishizu stood up, eyes flashing, "I will NOT have the monster even associating with my brother."

There she went, pissing me off again. She honestly had the most amazing ability to do that.

"Ishizu listen-"

"No!" She shook her head, "I am calling the cops and we are ending this here and now!"

I cocked an eyebrow, "And what, pray tell, are you going to tell them Ishizu? Two young men who don't even technically exist are trying to take over the world by stealing seven gold trinkets that will unleash terrible power?" I allowed a slow smirk on my face as both she and I realized that I had the advantage here, "I think they would refer you to the nearest psychiatric hospital."

Ishizu scowled and I allowed myself to grin in triumph, "Now, just listen for a second okay? I know you two are suspicious, and really you have every right to be so, but with all due respect Marik and I have been the ones to be held hostage and tormented these last few months, and if I am not freaking out right now then no one else should be."

"Unless you finally lost your mind." Ishizu grumbled lightly and I felt my anger rise again.

"Ishizu enough." Odion gave a sigh and uncrossed his arms, taking the now-vacated seat on the bench beside me, "I think Ryou is right." At Ishizu's disbelieving look Odion held up his hand, "Sister, you didn't see Marik break down and cry for the first time since he was a child because of the loss of Bakura. You didn't hear him confess about how much he loved him and that he would do anything to get him back. You didn't see him go into our former home, dig through every single scroll and book, trying desperately to find a way to get him back. That's devotion Ishizu, and if Marik doesn't love Bakura then I would like to know what else would drive him to the place he hates in search for a way to bring a former deranged spirit back."

Ishizu gave a light sigh and shook her head, "I still don't like it."

I brushed the hair out of my eyes and met her gaze with a softened one of my own, "No one is asking you to like it Ishizu, but we need to think about Marik right now. I think that Bakura is what he needs most and forcing him to give up Bakura again is just not right." I sighed lightly and shook my head, "It's important to him Ishizu, and if we can get Bakura to realize his feelings for Marik again then I think we can all make this work."

Giving a confident nod, I stood up and looked between the two Ishtar siblings, "Now I think we should go back in there and calmly try to talk things through with Bakura and Mariku and maybe actually try to get some progress made. Okay?"

They both nodded and I smiled. No one could say Ryou Bakura didn't know how to defuse a situation!

The two got up as well, Ishizu letting out a small sigh and Odion taking the lead, walking back to the hospital entrance and holding the door for his sister and I.

I thanked Odion quietly and lead the two former tomb keepers back to Marik's room, but before we went back inside I stopped outside the door and looked back to my two followers.

"Now, please, I know it will be hard not to just freak out on the both of them but you have to keep your cool. Remember that Marik is the reason why we are all here and it won't do him any good if all we do is sit and argue by his bed side."

Odion looked to Ishizu briefly before turning back to me, eyes serious, "I won't do anything to either of them, but only for Marik and if they start anything then I have the right to react."

I took in a deep breath but nodded. I didn't want a fight breaking out, but I knew that Mariku would behave; it was just Bakura that I was worried about.

"Okay then, let's go in." I opened the door and walked in first, making sure that I was staying in between the two Ishtar's behind me and the two in front of me and the former tomb robber.

Mariku looked up when I walked in, his lilac eyes sparkling. I wasn't surprised to still see him perched beside Marik as I had left him, but I was surprised to see him holding his lighter half's hand gently.

I smiled softly and walked over to him, giving him a gentle hug, "How is he?"

"I don't know, the bond is still numb." He gave a light sigh and looked back to Marik, his gaze sad and confused. "Why won't he wake up Ryou?"

I felt my heart nearly break in two at the despairing tone in the yami's voice. I didn't know what to tell him, and I was at a loss for what to do.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye as Ishizu walked into the room, her eyes on Marik's hand in Mariku's and her expression shocked.

I could have laughed if the situation had been less serious.

Mariku looked from me to Ishizu and then to Odion, finally going back to me.

I smiled and kissed his cheek, "It's okay Mariku, they aren't going to do anything so long as you and Bakura don't try anything either."

Mariku nodded, leaned further into my embrace and the repeated his question, "Why won't Omote wake up Ryou?"

"He's just…." I sighed, trying to think of the best way to put this. "Marik's body is really hurt and in order to help him heal, his body has gone into a deep sleep. It will take a while, but he will eventually wake up." I smiled reassuringly and rubbed Mariku's back, the Egyptian yami looking up at me, "You promise Ryou?"

I felt my heart sink into my stomach at his question, but nodded anyways, "Yes Mariku, I promise."

Apparently satisfied with my answer, Mariku turned his attention back to Marik and just clung to his hand tightly.

"So what are you going to do now?"

I looked back to Odion and saw that he was looking at Bakura, eyes questioning.

Bakura scoffed and crossed his arms awkwardly since he was holding Marik's other hand, "I don't see how that is any concern of yours."

Odion took in a deep breath but stayed calm, "I mean, I don't see Marik wanting you back in his house, and I don't think Ryou would appreciate your presence either."

"Now just hold on." I broke in, not wanting a fight to break out over something stupid, "Bakura and Mariku are going to continue living with me, and Marik as well as soon as he returns home."

Odion and Ishizu gave me questioning glances and Bakura looked openly shocked.

"Bakura and Mariku are not going to cause any more trouble, are you guys?"

Mariku quickly shook his head and Bakura gave me a dark look, probably because I was ruining his bad ass reputation, but it had to be done.

"Right Bakura?" I stared him down, really not in the mood for a fight.

"….Right."

Oh man if looks could kill I would be dead on the spot. Oh well, I was used to Bakura glaring at me, and I must say it was much better now than when he was sharing a body with me.

I gave a satisfied smile and looked to Odion and Ishizu, "See?"

Ishizu gave an exasperated huff and stared at me, "And you believe him?"

"Ishizu, we already went through this! If Ryou trusts them then-"

Odion never got to finish his sentence.

Suddenly Mariku stood and clutched his head, giving a sickly moan before promptly passing out and falling to the floor in front of me.

"Mariku!" I raced over and just barely caught the yami before he hit the ground.

I looked up at Bakura and his eyes were wide in shock, mirrored by Odion and Ishizu.

Could things get any more complicated?


	28. Complications

A/N: So sorry for all the delays. I am going to finish this story, I promise, its just slow going. Please forgive me and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 28: Complications**

**Ryou's POV**

I was suddenly terrified. Mariku wasn't waking up no matter how hard I shook him and everyone else was just standing around giving me these dumbfounded looks.

"Don't just stand there! Someone help me! Get some cold water or something!" I made a panicked sound and tapped Mariku's cheek, "Come on Mariku, get up!"

"I'll go get a nurse!" Ishizu turned to go and I cried out.

"Ishizu NO! Don't!"

She looked at me with a purely puzzled expression and I shook my head, white locks falling into my face, "Technically he doesn't exist, and it's only going to cause problems. I've had some medical training so just let me take care of him. All I need is some water."

Ishizu still looked skeptical, but she walked over to the sink and ran the water, holding her finger underneath the tap until the water was cold enough. She then grabbed a cup from the dispenser and filled it up, handing it over to me.

"Thank you." I turned to Mariku and tapped his cheeks again, "Come on Mariku, wake up."

Mariku gave a light groan and I sighed in relief, tapping his cheeks again, hoping to not have to use the water, "Mariku, wake up."

Finally Mariku opened up violet colored eyes and smiled softly, "Fluffy." He looked around in puzzlement before returning his gaze to me, "Why are we on the floor?"

"You fainted, here." I held the water to his lips and he drank eagerly. "Do you remember why?"

Mariku shook his head and swallowed, finishing the small cup of water quickly, and I handed it off to Ishizu, motioning for her to get more.

"I just felt pain in my head and then everything went dark." Mariku slowly shifted into an upright position and I helped him back into his chair.

"You think it's from the bond?" Bakura spoke up, his own grey-violet orbs betraying the concern that he felt.

"I don't know, but I would assume yes." Even I didn't like my own answer. What was going on with Marik now? Mariku was doing fine all the rest of the time, so what had changed to cause him such pain. I hoped that Marik was alright and that this could possibly be a good sign instead of bad.

Ishizu walked back over to us, and I gently took the new cup of water. "Thank you Ishizu." Turning, I handed the cup to Mariku and smiled as he took it, eyes shimmering in the lights of the room.

"You feeling okay now though Mariku?" I watched as he finished off the second cup, turning his eyes to Marik.

"I am, but Omote…something isn't right…" He bit his lip in thought and looked at me, "The bond is still numb, but I feel pain…"

Instantly I was on alert and I grabbed Mariku's hand, "Where do you feel the pain Mariku?"

The Egyptian yami frowned, rubbing a spot on the back of his head, "Here…it's very sharp…"

I looked to Ishizu and Odion, eyes widening as I realized something could be seriously wrong with Marik. I wasted no time in looking to the hospital monitors, trying to see if there was anything not right about Marik's condition, but everything seemed fine.

"Ryou, it's getting worse…" Mariku groaned, grabbing his head once more and beginning to shake.

I immediately went into doctor mode and turned to the other three in the room, "Okay I need you guys to get out because something is really wrong and I am about to cause a stir by calling code."

Ishizu's eyes widened and she looked between Marik and Mariku before resting her gaze on me, "Ryou what's going on?"

I gave her a deadly serious look, "Ishizu, just trust me. I need to figure out a way-"

Suddenly I was cut off when two very serious things happening at once.

Mariku groaned again, giving a cry of pain before passing out once more just as Marik's heart rate monitor went nuts.

Oh shit.

I didn't even have to call code, because it wasn't long before several nurses and doctors flooded into the room, ordering everyone out.

I quickly moved to the side, grabbing Mariku and pulling him out of the way so he didn't get stepped on.

"Come on Mariku…wake up…wake up." I tapped his cheek roughly, not having time to wait around for him to regain consciousness. The last thing I need was to get Mariku noticed by hospital staff and have to admit him. That would stir up a whole lot of trouble that I wouldn't be able to deal with right now.

"Is he okay?"

I flinched as a young nurse, probably no older than me, walked over and knelt beside Mariku and I. She had long brown hair that was tied back in a messy bun, and her big green eyes shone with concern.

"Erm, yeah he's okay, he's just-"

Thank God Mariku chose that moment to wake up.

His eyes snapped open and he hurriedly sat up, eyes wide in panic, "Omote! Ryou he's sick!"

The nurse blinked and stepped back in confusion and I stood up with Mariku, trying to keep him from making a scene.

"I know Mariku, just stay back for now, we have to let the doctors do their jobs."

"What are you two still doing in here?" One of the doctors turned and gave Mariku and I a harsh look, "We need everyone out of here now!"

"Now Dr. Yuki no need to be so harsh, I am sure they were on their way out, right boys?"

I looked up into the smiling face of Dr. Kaz, his warm expression covering a panicked urgency that concerned me.

"Yeah, yeah we're going." I nodded and gave Kaz a thankful smile before tugging a very reluctant Mariku out the door.

"But Ryou!" Mariku urged me, tugging hard on my sleeve, "It's Omote!"

"I know Mariku, but we have to let the doctors do their work." I sighed and pulled Mariku away from the room and into the nearby waiting area.

Inside, Bakura was back to pacing, his expression worried and restless. Ishizu and Odion were seated on chairs on the far side of the room, heads down and hands folded in prayer.

Mariku looked around before his gaze back to me, "Ryou, what's going on?"

I looked up at him, wishing I had an answer, "I don't know Mariku…We just have to wait it out okay?"

Mariku huffed, obviously not satisfied with my answer but accepting it none the less. He looked around the room before deciding on a seat nearest the pacing Bakura and dragged me along to go sit with him.

I sat down beside Mariku, feeling quite numb inside about this whole situation. What if something was really wrong with Marik? What if he died? What would I do then?

"This is all my fault."

I blinked in surprise and looked up as Bakura stopped his pacing, staring intently at the floor in front of him.

I wouldn't believe he had spoken at all if didn't start speaking again.

"I killed him…It's no different than me putting a blade to his throat and killing him…It's all my fault."

Well at least now he realized it.

I sighed lightly and got up off of Mariku's lap, walking over to Bakura and putting a consoling hand on his shoulder. I felt bad, and even though Bakura had put me through hell and back, I wanted things to work out. Someone had to be willing to compromise, and I realized early on that it was always going to be me.

"Bakura…" I bit my lip lightly, trying to think of the right thing to say, "This isn't all your fault…sure, you fucked up pretty badly, but there seems to be some gaps in what happened between you and Marik, and to be honest, I think something else went on. You need to get over this petty, 'he doesn't love me because he never said goodbye' bullcrap and realize that you still love him and always will. Right now he needs us more than ever, and I am sure he would rather make-out with Mariku than admit it, but he needs you the most."

I sighed and looked away slightly, feeling Bakura's intense gaze on me, "What I am trying to say is this; If Marik makes it out of this alive, I think you both deserve a chance at happiness, so try to put your anger aside and give it a try. Go back to the way things were between you, how you said it was so wonderful and great to be with him. Get that back, no matter how hard it is, because I know that it will be worth it in the end."

After my long dialogue, I let my hand drop from Bakura's shoulder. I still felt him staring at me, but I didn't look back at him. I had said what I wanted to say, more than I wanted actually, and now it was up to him to actually do something about it.

Mariku looked up at me as I walked back over to him, settling myself down into his lap comfortably and leaning my head against his chest. Now all we could do was wait.

**Bakura's POV**

Of all the people to get a lecture from, my former host had not been anywhere near the top of my list of expected people.

Giving a sigh, I finally looked away from Ryou and turned my gaze back down the hallway where Marik's door remained shut.

The worst part about Ryou's lecture is that he had been completely right about everything he said.

Slowly I turned and walked over to the empty chair beside Mariku and Ryou and reluctantly sat down, my thoughts racing.

I really hoped Marik was okay, everything was happening so quickly, and we had parted on such a bad note. It would be a terrible ending for us, a tragedy right out of the mind of Shakespeare.

Ryou was right, something seemed terribly off about how Marik and I parted the first time. Maybe something was going on, something I never thought to take into account. But what could it be. There was nothing that could mess with my memories except…except for one thing.

"Fuck me…" I groaned and buried my face into my hands, finally realizing what should have been obvious all along.

I felt Ryou and Mariku's eyes on me as I cursed again, this time in Egyptian, and stood up. How could I have been so stupid to not realize it sooner.

Ryou hadn't been the only one possessed during my time in the ring.

I had been too, by Zorc.

"Argh you FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"

Ryou jumped slightly and Mariku cocked an eyebrow, looking to Ryou and whispering, "I think he snapped."

"I can hear you Mariku." I turned and narrowed my eyes at him, simply causing Mariku to become even more amused.

"What in Ra's name is _your_ problem?"

Of course, Marik's sister would have to butt her nose in.

"Shut up, this is none of your concern." I huffed and quickly resumed my pacing, chewing my lip in thought as I did. Of course, it all made sense now. When it got towards the end, the demon that resided within my spirit became more restless by the day, and it was around then that he began taking over Ryou's body himself, leaving my spirit pinned in it's own corner of Ryou's soul room.

That must have been what happened. It had to be…Zorc had taken over and repressed my memories of the events. He always hated my relationship with Marik, saying it was nothing but a pathetic distraction from our real mission.

The fucker had messed with my memory and broke Marik's heart, and now we were paying for it dearly.

Oh God Marik.

I stopped my pacing and began heading for the door before I felt a slightly chilled hand on my arm, "Bakura, I know you don't want to listen to me or anyone else right now, but you have to wait here until the doctors come for us."

I hissed and tried to shake Ryou's hand off of me, but he wouldn't budge. He must have been getting my emotions and thoughts through the now opened bond between us. In my distress I had let my guard down and opened up the link.

"Ryou…let me go." I swallowed hard, Ryou shaking his head slowly, actually tightening his grip.

"Bakura, you have to stay out here. You aren't going to help Marik any by going back there and creating a scene."

I heaved a sigh and slowly turned back around. As much as I hated to admit it, Ryou was right. There was nothing I could do now. I felt completely hopeless and it was one of the worst feelings in the entire world.

I let Ryou drag me back to the seat beside him and sit me down. I was amazed by how much my host had grown these last few months during my time spent here. Ryou was now more in control and assertive, easily pulling together a messy situation and somehow putting everything back together.

I scowled when I realized that I felt slightly jealous of him.

Just then, the doctor known as Kaz walked into the room, his eyes scanning those present until they fell upon Ryou.

"Ah, Mr. Bakura." Kaz shifted slightly, looking slightly uncomfortable, "I think we should talk."

"Talk about what?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

Kaz turned his gaze to me, eyes tired, "About Marik's condition."

I looked to Ryou and he returned the gesture, standing up and nodding, "Okay, let's go talk."


	29. Consequences

**A/N: I do apologize...I know you guys probably hate me by now for my lack of updates. I just have gotten completely wrapped up in GX, and b/c of that its hard to write for a DM story. But I promise I won't give up and I will try to make updates quicker. My chapters may be getting smaller now, but we are getting down to the wire and I can't crank out as much without making it filler. Sorry for everything and I hope I didn't lose any readers. Here...have a thank you for following cookie. -hands you all an entire tray-**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 29: Consequences**

**Ryou's POV**

I felt my heart nearly leap out of my chest when Kaz came out and said he needed to talk to us. This could be very bad, or, well, just plain bad. Since when was anything actually good around here?

I gave a sigh and stood up, motioning for Bakura to follow me. He and Mariku moved in tandem and stood up, looking for me to lead them.

I then turned my gaze to Ishizu and Odion, to see what they were going to do. They looked to each other before standing as well, walking over to join Mariku, Bakura and I.

Kaz watched this little transaction unfold before nodding to me, the designated leader, and taking us once again back to his office.

I didn't waste any time in getting to the point, "Alright Kaz, what's wrong with him now?"

The older doctor sighed, sitting down in his desk and resting his head in his hands, "It's...complicated."

"How complicated?" I felt my heart flutter, and I looked to Mariku to see if he was doing alright, to get some sort of sign of Marik's condition.

Mariku looked fine to me, aside from the deep frown on his face, betraying how truly worried he was about his Omote.

I wished I could comfort him.

Giving a small sigh I turned back to Kaz, waiting patiently for him to answer me.

Kaz fidgeted in his seat, looking between each member of the group before returning his gaze to me, "Well…Marik's condition is…fragile…" He bit his lip and folded his hands in front of him before continuing on. "It appears that in the rush to stabilize Marik we…we erm, missed some things."

I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward, causing Kaz to flinch slightly, "Missed some things…like what?"

The older doctor looked away, eyes downcast.

My stomach clenched and suddenly I felt angry, "Dr. Kaz…Marik."

Kaz slowly looked back up, meeting my glare reluctantly, "Mr. Ishtar had some additional brain tissue damage and bleeding that we missed, which caused a seizure of sorts. Long story short, we fixed the problem but…"

I gripped the chair hard, not deflecting my gaze at all, "But?"

"There may be a bit more brain damage…and his body is weaker now, so he will have to remain in ICU and I will have to restrict visitors to one at a time."

I felt the tears quickly rise to my eyes before I had a chance to stop them. This was not what I planned on at all.

"So…it's worse?"

Kaz shifted, but this time didn't look away, "I wouldn't say worse, but he's not any better."

I saw Mariku shift out of the corner of my eyes, and I turned to see that he was comforting Bakura.

I was surprised to see that the former thief had his head buried in his hands and his shoulders were shaking slightly.

Was he crying?

I felt nearly sick to my stomach, sadness overtaking me.

There was actually a good chance that Marik wouldn't make it out of this alive.

"I'm sorry…I know you must all care for your friend very deeply, though I am sure with your support he stands a very good chance at recovery."

Yeah, now Kaz was just playing the pity card. He didn't believe Marik was going to make it out of this alive, but he didn't want us losing faith.

Even though it felt hopeless, I wasn't planning on giving up. Marik wouldn't give up on me if I was in his situation, and I was going to repay the favor.

"So…when can we see him?" Bakura looked up, his wet cheeks the only sign that he had been crying, and the tear lines were so faint that even I doubted he had been.

"Well…you can't see him just yet. He's been taken to surgery so we can fix the bleeding and such. You guys can either wait in the waiting room or go home. Either way I will contact you once Marik can receive visitors."

Bakura's shoulders sank, but he nodded regardless and stood up.

I joined him and turned to Ishizu and Odion. Marik's sister had her head down, tears streaming down her cheeks. Odion had his arms around her loosely, his own eyes watering. I sighed softly and nodded in thanks to Kaz and he lead our little group back to a smaller, private waiting room for families in similar situations to ours.

I suddenly had an odd feeling of guilt grip my stomach, as if all of this could have been prevented somehow. I knew the thought was ridiculous, but it still didn't stop it from coming.

"It's not your fault Landlord, it's mine."

I looked up at the sound of Bakura's voice, and I could see the toll of strain and stress in his eyes and I suddenly had the urge to go over and hug the former spirit.

Where I would have hesitated in the past, I felt no such reservations now as I walked over and wrapped my arms around Bakura tightly.

I expected to get pushed off, yelled at, or the very least have him pull away, but I was surprised when all he did was lean further into my touch.

"It's going to be okay Bakura. Marik is a strong person, and if anyone can make it through, it will be him."

I felt Bakura shift slightly, and I could practically feel the smile creep onto his face through the bond, "You're right Ryou…"

I smirked in triumph and looked to Mariku. He was leaning back in his seat with a soft smile on his face, his eyes directed my way.

For the first time since Bakura and Mariku arrived, I felt like everything was right in the world, and that we could make things work.

Now only if Marik would wake up.

We must have sat there for nearly two hours before Kaz finally came out and told us that Marik was out of surgery and in recovery. We could begin to see him one at a time if we wished.

I looked around the room, and I knew Bakura's gaze was on me. He wanted to go in the room first and be with Marik, just in case on the off chance he would wake up, Bakura would be by his bedside.

I knew though, that it was only fair if we let the family go back first.

Bakura got my vibe through the bond and nodded to me, and I took that as a cue to address Odion and Ishizu.

"I think one of you should go in first. It's only fair since you are family."

The two Ishtar siblings glanced between each other before seeming to decide on who would go first. Odion sat back down and Ishizu gave me a grateful nod of her head before heading back through the door, following Kaz back through the hall to ICU.

I heaved small sigh before standing up and stretching, looking to each person in the room before asking, "Anybody want anything? We haven't eaten all day and I am going to go get some food."

"I don't want anything that doesn't have liquor in it."

I rolled my eyes and looked to Bakura who gave me a graceful shrug of his shoulders, "My day has sucked ass, don't you think I have suffered long enough? I am entitled to get completely wasted."

"Alright…I will run by the liquor store, anybody else want anything normal?"

Odion shook his head and Mariku tilted his head to the side, "I would like some of that fluffy sweet stuff you gave me the other day."

I blinked at the bronze yami, "…You want cotton candy?"

Mariku grinned and nodded, making me chuckle and roll my eyes.

"Alright then…I am going to go get…cotton candy and beer, may as well call Yugi too." I sighed and walked out the door, leaving the two yami's and eldest Ishtar sibling alone.

**Bakura's POV**

I didn't exactly appreciate Ryou leaving Mariku and I alone in the waiting room with Odion Ishtar, but I didn't want to leave, just in case something happened with Marik.

Still, it didn't mean the atmosphere wasn't very tense and awkward.

Odion was trying not to look at us, but I could see him shooting glances towards Mariku and I every so often.

Finally, I heard him sigh softly and get out of his seat, walking over so he was standing directly in front of Mariku and I.

Mariku looked up, a puzzled and guarded look on his face as Odion held out his hand.

The Egyptian yami stared at it with a puzzled expression before looking to me.

I gave a shrug and looked back to Odion who sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I am trying to make a truce here."

Mariku blinked in confusion and I cocked an eyebrow, "A truce?"

Odion nodded, his hand still extended, "I know that Marik is going to wake up, and when he does you are going to become a part of his life whether Ishizu and I like it or not. I would rather be the bigger man and extend my friendship to you, so that we don't have to avoid each other every time we happen to be in the same house."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, Odion really wanted to make peace?

At any other time I would have laughed and slapped his hand away, but now? Let's just say that a lot had changed over the past several months.

Mariku turned back to Odion, staring at his hand intently before slowly reaching out and grasping firmly. He turned his violet eyes upward and smiled a tiny bit when Odion grinned.

I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself.

Odion then turned to me, his expression turning uncertain.

I sighed heavily and held out my hand, rolling my eyes to the side and not even looking as the elder Ishtar grasped my hand firmly, "Thank you Bakura, I appreciate it."

I huffed, but couldn't help the small smile that cracked across my face.

Like I said, a lot had changed.

It was then that Ishizu came back out from Marik's room, eyes puffy and cheeks streaked with tears.

"That was fast." Odion frowned and walked over to his sister, putting his arms around her shoulders.

Ishizu shrugged and moved over to sit down, "It's just…too depressing to see him like that. I mean, he isn't…" She bit back a sob and shook her head, "He looks so sick Odion. I just…I feel bad but I can't sit in there and stare at him…"

Odion nodded and patted her back, "It's okay Ishizu, I understand. This place is just too depressing…how about we go and get some fresh air then?"

Ishizu turned her head to look at Mariku and I before looking back at her brother, "But Odion-"

"Don't worry about them. They aren't going to hurt anybody anymore."

The only Ishtar female gave me a scathing look but sighed in defeat as Odion began pulling her towards the exit, "Come on Ishizu, let's go."

As the two remaining Ishtar siblings left, I turned to look at Mariku.

The bronze yami was sitting in his chair quietly, staring down at his hands with a fascinated gaze. I knew he was thrilled to have his own body, and he never stopped being amazed by it.

I spoke softly, not wanting to jerk Mariku our of his slight haze, "Someone should be with Marik right now."

Mariku looked up, violet eyes focusing in on my own, "You should go, you are good for Omote."

"You're just as good." I stood up and walked over to my partner in crime and best friend for these past few months, "I think he would do well to have you there too."

"I don't know about that…" Mariku turned his head to the side and I rested my hand on his thigh, "I think you should go to him Mariku." I smiled reassuringly when he looked up and he gave a small grin in return.

I gestured to the door, "Room 117 the nurse said, go on, I will be here waiting when you come back."

Mariku nodded and got up, walking through the double doors and leaving me alone.

I heaved a small sigh and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling with a tired gaze.

Marik better wake up soon because this was just getting to be too much for me.


	30. Doubts

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 30: Doubts**

**Bakura's POV**

Luckily I didn't have to wait around long, since Ryou came into the waiting room five minutes later carrying a bag of cotton candy and a bottle of pop.

"I asked for beer."

I couldn't help it, being an insensitive prick was in my nature.

Ryou scowled at me before tossing the pop with quite a bit of force at my head, "It's in there. I couldn't very well carry in a six pack into a hospital now could I?"

Giving Ryou a look of disbelief, I screwed off the soda's cap and sniffed at the liquid inside. Sure enough the strong smell of whisky met my nose.

Damn he was good.

"Alright Hikari you win this round."

Ryou gave me a self-satisfied smirk and sat down, bringing out his own bottle, though I heard the hiss of carbon as he open it.

"Where's Mariku?" He looked over to me before taking a long swig of his soda.

"He went back to sit with Marik. Odion took Ishizu out so we could have our alone time."

Ryou nodded and stared at the wall opposite of us thoughtfully, "Well that's surprising."

I nodded in agreement before taking a sip of my bottle whisky. I couldn't help but chuckle at the situation.

"What?" I turned to look at Ryou, a stupid grin on my face, "Just thinking. Never would have thought it would have ended up like this huh?"

Ryou smirked and shrugged, looking down at his soda bottle with a mixture of emotions on his face.

"Well it could have ended better, that's for sure."

I nodded, chewing my lip slightly, "Yes, but it could have ended worse too…then again, I consider this far from over. You know Marik, he's too strong and stubborn to let it end like this."

Ryou looked up at me, his brown eyes showing the hurt he was feeling, "Yeah, I just…I am holding out hope, but sometimes-"

I quickly cut him off, not liking where this conversation was heading, "No Ryou, stop doubting yourself. You are the one holding us all together, if you give up hope then so will everyone else."

The young teen gave me a slightly shocked look, strands of white hair falling into his face.

I gave a firm nod, setting my drink down and leaning against the back of the chair, "I hate to admit it, but you are the pillar for us four…"

Ryou kept watching me, his gave turning soft the longer I spoke.

"No matter what Mariku and I did, you stood tall, never breaking under pressure, even when Marik lost his cool, you were still holding on to the hope that everything would work out."

I sighed and shook my head, chuckling again, "And look what happened now…We are all on the same side, and that isn't going to be changing anytime soon."

Ryou snorted, leaning back, his gaze still focused on me, "I can't believe I am hearing that come out of your mouth Bakura."

"I know…" I couldn't believe it either, but now all my priorities had changed, and there was only one concern on my mind now.

"You think he's going to live?" Ryou's voice was uncharacteristically soft as he looked intently at the floor.

I looked over to my former host, but he didn't return my gaze, instead he continued to gaze at the floor.

"I think so. If there was anyone I thought that could pull through something like this, it would be Marik. He is a stubborn bastard, and I wouldn't put it past him to come back just for spite."

At that, I saw a small smile grace Ryou's pale face, and he lifted his head to look at me, "You're right Kura…He'll make it, I know he will."

I gave a confident nod before taking another massive swig of my drink, the whisky burning my throat the whole way down.

I hated lying to him.

* * *

**Mariku's POV**

I found the room with ease, not even looking at the numbers as I felt my way there using the bond.

It may have been numb, but I could still use it. It was still there, and as long as the bond was still there, then my omote was still alive.

I didn't even pause as I walked inside, going immediately over to the chair positioned by his bed and crawling into it.

Looking down at the bed, I almost flinched at the site of Marik laying there sick. He was looking even worse than the last time I saw him, even though I wasn't sure it was possible.

Well it was.

I sighed and immediately picked up his hand once more, kissing it gently and feeling the spark of power going between us.

Feeding energy through the bond proved to be just as easy as taking it, so the process came with an almost natural smoothness.

I couldn't keep this up for too long, as the energy transfer sapped me for days and it took longer to recover from.

It was worth it though, since I felt the bond spike for the first time since the accident, letting me know that Marik's body was responding to the energy.

A good sign most definitely.

I took in a deep breath then, speaking just above a whisper in Arabic. I knew that using our native tongue would sooth Marik, and it would be more comforting to hear rather than the odd trilling of Japanese.

"_Bakura is worried about you Omote, he tries to hide it, but I know him better than that."_ I smirked, thinking of how the thief had nearly wore a hole in the hospital floor from all his pacing.

"_I know you are still mad at him, and you have every reason to be, for what you believe. But we know the whole story now, though I will let him tell you, since I know he will anyways."_ Mariku knew once Bakura got in here, they would probably never get him to leave. The thief was no longer denying his feelings For Marik and Mariku hoped his Omote would wake up to hear it for himself.

"_I just hope you wake up soon, you have everyone worried, including me."_ And that was a shocker in of itself. He never thought he would ever care for Marik other than him being the main personality in a shared body.

Things were different now though, and people changed.

I had changed.

I finally had to stop the energy transfer through the bond, my body growing weak from giving more than normal. I would come again in a few days to do it once more, since it took a lot of time to recuperate from so much effort.

I didn't get up right away. Just because I was finished with the task at hand didn't mean I wanted to leave right away. I wanted to be there for Marik, even though he couldn't hear me.

I then did something I never imagined myself doing. I resituated myself, holding one of Marik's hands between both of mine, and laying my head on the bed railing. I closed my eyes and exhaled softly before beginning to pray softly.

I had a memory of Ishizu teaching Marik this specific prayer as a child and it had been his favorite.

Maybe it would be enough to bring the youngest Ishtar child back to consciousness.

I don't know how long I chanted for, but time all blurred together and I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Mariku?"

I smiled softly as Ryou's soft voice drifted through the haze my mind had been in, "Ryou."

He chuckled and brushed the bangs out of my eyes, "You've been in here for nearly an hour. Bakura and I were worried."

It was then I realized I must have given Omote a lot more energy than I originally thought.

"I must have given him too much energy. It's hard to keep track when doing stuff like that."

Ryou nodded and helped me stand up, putting a supporting arm around my lower back.

"Well come on, let's go out. I got some cotton candy for you and Bakura is chomping at the bit to get back here."

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion at the odd expression, "Chomping at the bit?"

Ryou chuckled and shook his head, "It's…just an expression. Means he's really eager."

"Ah…" I nodded in understanding, though the words still confused me, "Why didn't you just say that then?"

Ryou shrugged and laughed a little.

It was good to see him laugh.

"I don't know Mariku." He took my hand and we walked together out to where Bakura was waiting for us, an empty coke bottle clenched tightly in his fists.

"I thought you fucking died moron."

I grinned, not bothered in the slightest by any of Bakura's insults. It was how he showed he cared.

Ryou rolled his eyes and walked over to a chair where he had a small bag of groceries and pulled out a large bag of blue cotton candy.

I couldn't help but squeal in delight and nearly knocked Bakura over in my attempt to get to the fluffy sweet stuff that reminded me so much of Ryou's hair.

The thief scoffed but said nothing more as he left through the double doors that lead to the ICU.

Both Ryou and I glanced at him as the door swished shut and I then plopped down on the chair beside Ryou.

He smiled softly at me as I nearly ripped the bag apart in excitement and even joined me in picking apart the clump of airy sugar.

A little happiness went a long way in the midst of tragedy.

* * *

**Bakura's POV**

I walked back to Marik's room in a daze, preparing myself for what I may see. Was he looking any worse than before? Or maybe he just looked the same.

I didn't want to see either.

I wanted to walk inside that room and see Marik sitting up, chatting away with some nurse or doctor. I wanted him to give me a glare when I walked inside, maybe yell or scream or cry. Hell anything was better than this dead silence I was met with now.

The room was dark when I walked in, the only light into the room was coming from a small window beside Marik's bed. The curtains were partially drawn, letting in the tiniest bit of sunlight.

I walked over to the chair beside Marik's bed and picked up his hand, holding in tightly in my own. His skin was chilled, but still held some warmth, letting you know he was alive, but barely.

Biting back tears, I kissed his hand and spoke softly. I didn't know what I was going to say, but I couldn't just sit here in silence.

"Hey…" I swallowed, wanting to smack myself in the face for such a stupid start, but right now it was all I could manage.

"I…God Marik, I don't even know where to begin. I've messed up so bad."

This time I couldn't stop the watering of my eyes, and I bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling.

"I should have figured it out sooner, I should have done _something_! Fuck Marik, why didn't I do anything?" I brought his hand to my face and I laid my lips on it as the first tear came.

"Because of me, we never got to be a normal couple, heh as if we could be normal." I couldn't help but chuckle lightly, but the sound was bitter and broken.

"It wasn't me…I know you are probably rolling your eyes if you can hear me, but it's the truth. It was that horrid demon Zorc…" I sighed and kissed his hand again and again, my voice dropping to just above a whisper.

"He hated us…I just wish I would have known what he did early. I don't know what I would have done, but I would have tried….fuck I would have _tried."_

I didn't know if I could have changed the course of events. Most likely not, but Marik and I would have been able to leave on better terms, and I would have came back less bitter and angry.

Then Marik wouldn't have had a reason to rush out and he wouldn't have gotten into the wreck.

Why couldn't I just have realized what was going on?

Taking in a shuddering breath, I reached out and pushed Marik's bangs out of his face gently.

"I would give anything to be able to work this out…Anything to have a second chance with you."

I shook my head, letting the rest of the tears fall, "Please Marik, I love you….please come back to me…"

Any response would have been better than the one I got.

Cold, unyielding silence.


	31. Miracle

**A/N: Sorry for the update delay's, I am not as far in chapters as I like, but they are still coming. This chapter is shorter, but I hope you will forgive when you see why. Enjoy. ^^ Oh and thanks for over 200 reviews! I owe it all to you, my faithful readers!**

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 31: Miracle**

**Bakura's POV**

One week. It had been one week and still no movement or anything from Marik.

I would know, I never left his side.

Even when visiting hours were over, I would just sneak back inside and sit by Marik's side all night long, hiding skillfully in the shadows when a nurse would come in to check on him.

It just killed me to see him laying there, looking for all the world like he had died. It was only the steady beating of the heart monitor and the gentle rising and falling of his chest that let me know he was still with us.

I sighed gently and once again took my place in the chair by Marik's hospital bed, taking his hand in mine and whispering a small prayer to the gods that he would make it out okay.

I had only left for an hour, Mariku convincing me that he needed to give Marik energy through the bond, that way he would be able to wake up faster. He claimed that the closer they were, the more effective the transfer became.

I didn't know whether that was true or not, but at this point I was willing to try just about anything.

I situated myself in the chair before fixing Marik's blankets and pillows. Just because the boy was in a coma didn't mean that his pillow didn't need fluffed.

I wanted him to be completely comfortable when he woke up.

It was then that I did the same thing I did every day with Marik; recount the events of the day, although I got my information from Ryou, since I hadn't left Marik's bedside since that first visit.

Of course I allowed Ishizu and Odion their own chances to see their brother, but that time was spent with me pacing the halls like a restless wild cat.

I simply did not know what to do with myself anymore.

After a lot of thinking, I realized that the only reason I was sticking around now was for Marik's sake and that the thought of losing him just sent chills down my spine.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I sighed and got on with my recounting.

"Not too much has been going on lately kid…Ryou said that he thinks we should get a new place, somewhere bigger since Mariku and I are going to be staying now…"

I swallowed and bit my lip, trying not to lose it once again.

I was crying far too much lately.

"He said he has been saving up a lot of money, and his dad offered to help too. He also said that you and he talked about this and that you have some money saved for a house too."

I smiled gently, rubbing my finger's against Marik's cheek.

"We won't start looking until you wake up of course. Your opinion is just as important as any of ours."

A gentle knock on the door brought me out of my slight daze, and I turned to look at the door just as a nurse peeked her head in.

"I hate to bother you Mr. Tozokuo, but I am going to need to change Mr. Ishtar's bandages."

Giving a small frown, I reluctantly got up. I squeezed Marik's hand gently before letting go and walking over to the door.

The nurse gave a me a cheery, yet generic, smile and walked into the room, shutting the door as soon as she could.

Bitch.

I gave a low growl and paced the hall for a few minutes before I decided my time would be better spent talking to my hikari and Marik's yami.

Looking at the door one last time, I reluctantly headed back down the hall to the larger public waiting room.

Ryou was sitting in the corner chair, his eyes glued to Mariku as the Egyptian yami stared at the TV screen with a look of bewilderment.

"What's got him so fascinated?"

I smirked as Ryou looked up and rolled his eyes, "He found the weather channel."

Mariku spoke up then, eyes still glued to the television, "How does that man know the weather without having the millennium necklace? It is impossible to tell the future otherwise!"

I chuckled and shook my head, sitting down next to Mariku and setting my hand on his lap, "Trust me Mariku, they don't know how to tell the future. They just pretend and suck rather badly in the process."

Ryou nodded in agreement before standing up and stretching, "How's Marik?"

I bit my lip slightly before shrugging, "The same as always."

My hikari frowned and looked to the door, "He'll come around, I just know he will."

I gave a slight nod, still upset that it had been an entire week without moving so much as an inch.

"Speaking of which, why are you out here now?" Ryou's voice was soft, as if he were afraid of my answer.

I looked up, giving him a reassuring wave of the hand, "It's alright, the nurse just came in so she could change his bandages."

"Ah…I am surprised you left." Ryou chuckled before walking over to Mariku and wrapping his arms around the Egyptian's neck.

"I know." I gave a sigh before looking away to stare at the vending machine. Sometimes it hurt to look at Mariku, especially when he had his hair down, looking so much like Marik.

"We should go out to lunch." Ryou squeezed Mariku's shoulders before walking to the middle of the room and gesturing outward.

"Sitting in here and doing nothing but thinking is not healthy for us at all. I say we should go out, breath some fresh air and at the very least get some coffee or tea in us."

After getting no response except blank stares from Mariku and I, Ryou stomped his foot and walked over, grabbing one arm each and pulling us up.

"I said come on! No more moping! We are going out and having some fun!"

I rolled my eyes but let Ryou pull me along, struggling to stop a grin from spreading across my face.

He took us to a nearby café, within sight of the hospital. It made me feel better that I was still near Marik but I could get out and enjoy the fresh air. It had been awhile since I spent any time outside.

We sat down at a small table outside the store while Ryou went in and bought us some drinks.

"Bakura…"

I looked up to Mariku, who seemed to have a funny look on his face.

"What is it?" I frowned softly, mind immediately going to Marik.

Mariku opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, shaking his head and muttering, "No…its' nothing."

I was about to say more when Ryou came out, a cheery grin on his face and three coffee cups in his hands.

Mariku looked up, smiling wide as Ryou handed him one of the drinks, "Here Mariku, I thought you would like something like this."

The white haired teen then turned, handing me a different cup, "I just got you coffee Kura, cause you don't seem the type to drink the sissy drinks."

I scoffed and took the cup, giving Ryou a smirk, "Damn straight."

Ryou then sat down with his own drink and a delicate roll of the eyes, "Yeah, I unfortunately know you that well."

I watched as Mariku eagerly gulped down his drink, chuckling softly as he wasn't even fazed by the heat.

"You know Mariku, no one is going to take that from you. You don't have to swallow it all in one go."

The Egyptian yami gave me a goofy grin and I shook my head, taking off the lid and blowing lightly on my coffee before taking a sip of my own.

"See? Isn't this much healthier than just sitting in that stale hospital room and waiting for something to…" Ryou trailed off and I looked up to see why.

My heart nearly stopped as I saw the look in Mariku's eyes.

He looked oddly blank, violet eyes unfocused and staring off at nothing. Ryou quickly stood up and shook him, asking what was wrong.

I didn't even need to stick around to hear the next words out of his mouth.

"Omote."

There was no sticking around for me. I called once again on my past and felt an incredible burst of energy soar through me, boosting my speed to top levels.

I don't think I had ever ran so fast in my entire life, even when I was being chased by the pharaoh's guards.

No, this was more important than that.

This was Marik.

Good thing we were close, as I arrived at the hospital in under a minute, pushing past nurses and visitors until I reached the room I was looking for.

My stomach dropped once I saw Marik's door blocked by several doctors.

No, not again.

Without giving anyone any time to react, I pushed past the two scrubs in the door, approaching the bed which was now surrounded by doctors.

Kaz looked up, a shocked expression on his face until it turned to sympathy, reaching out to me.

I shoved his hand away and pushed through the small gap he had left, "Let me see him! You better not have fucked up!" I didn't even care that I was close to crying, I couldn't take much more hurt.

Kaz said something, but it didn't register since the sight in front of my eyes shocked all my senses to numbness.

"Bakura."

The tears fell and I began sobbing.

There, sitting up in bed with wide violet eyes and tears of his own was Marik. Looking for all the world like he just woke up from a long nap.

"Marik…"

Nothing more need to be said. I ignored the doctors and climbed into bed, wrapping my arms around the Egyptian teen and burying my face into his neck.

Expecting a slap or shove, I was even more surprised when I felt the embrace returned.

I felt Marik rest his head on mine and he mumbled softly into my hair in Egyptian.

"_I love you."_


	32. Reunion

A/N: And here we are! Getting down to the wire. As I said on my Tumblr, I have four more chapters and an epilogue planned. I am so grateful you all have stuck by me through this story and I am proud with what I have done with it. I am touched by all your positive reviews and I couldn't be more happy. And if all goes well I will have some smut for you next chapter. -wink- Do enjoy.

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 32: Reunion**

**Bakura's POV**

I couldn't believe that I was actually holding Marik in my arms and that he was really awake. It was too good to be true and I wondered if maybe I was dreaming.

My thoughts were interrupted as I felt myself being tugged away, Marik giving a whine of protest as he held on even tighter.

The doctor gave a huff of disapproval and probably would have said something if he hadn't been hushed by Kaz.

"Now, now, there is no need to start something. Bakura can stay here if he wants. I don't need an audience however, so the rest of you are dismissed." Kaz gave a warm but firm smile and waved the others away.

The doctor who scoffed gave me a dirty look before reluctantly turning and leaving, the others following close behind.

Kaz then turned and gave me a gentle smile, "I won't force you out, but I do need you off the bed, just for right now so I can just check Marik over. He did just wake up. I must say your timing was perfect."

I sighed and looked to Marik before nodding. I could do that much for him.

Moving to the chair beside the bed, Kaz took out a small pen light and began by looking into Marik's gaze, which must have been difficult since the teen kept looking over towards me.

Kaz however only smirked and checked his eyes before sitting on the edge of the bed, asking questions as he checked Marik's wounds, "Can you tell me your name son?"

"M…Marik." The tan teen swallowed, looking a bit confused at the slight stutter.

Kaz frowned, but he didn't seem concerned as he continued down the list of questions as he checked vital signs, "And what year is it Marik?"

Marik frowned and looked to me once more, "2011...W…what's going on?"

"Son, tell me what the last thing you remember is?" Kaz pulled the only other unoccupied chair in the room over and sat down in it, eyes locked on Marik firmly.

Marik licked his lips lightly before looking down at the sheets, seeming to really notice where he was for the first time.

"I…I was…" He looked to me, violet eyes distressed, "Fighting with you…"

Well that really narrowed it down.

"Over what?" I asked quietly, a bit fearful that his last memory was a fight years before.

Marik sighed and reached his hand out and I took it tightly in my own.

"You had m...my journal…" There was a small hint of shame in his tone, and he adverted his gave once more.

"How much do you remember?" I gave Marik's hand a reassuring squeeze and he bit his lip a bit harder.

"I just remember getting a…angry at you and t…then everything b…blurs." He shook his head and looked to Kaz, eyes fiery, "W…what happened? And w…why am I s…stuttering."

I tried hard not to grin. As concerned as I was about Marik's apparent struggle to speak normally, I found it too cute not to smirk just a little bit.

Kaz sat back, pulling out Marik's chart and flipping through it, "Well, you were brought in a week ago when you wrecked your motorcycle."

Marik blinked and looked to the older man, "I w…wrecked?" He growled in frustration at the stutter and clenched the sheets of the bed tightly.

Kaz nodded gently and looked over the papers in his hand once more, "Yes, you came in with multiple injuries, both internal and external. The most serious being in your abdomen and head. We had to operate a few different times-"

"Yeah, because you screwed up the first time." I scoffed and Kaz flinched, sighing as he continued on, "Yes well, we did neglect to catch a bleed on the brain, but it is okay now."

The whole time Kaz was talking, Marik switched between looking at me and the doctor, a confused and slightly overwhelmed look on his face.

I sighed gently and rubbed Marik's hand with my own, giving the fingers a reassuring squeeze.

Marik finally decided to rest his gaze on me, speaking in a low tone of voice, "So what does all this mean for me now?"

Kaz cleared his throat lightly, "Well, we won't know anything definite until we get another CT scan, but from what I already know, I can say that there is minor damage to the parts of the brain that control speech and movement. I won't know for certain however, until we can see the scans."

Marik frowned deeply and I gave his hand another squeeze, "Okay, well, if that is all for now then Marik and I would appreciate some alone time. We have a lot to talk about." Kaz nodded and stood, slipping Marik's chart back into the slot at the end of his bed, "Of course, I will leave you two be. I will be back when it's time for the CT scan."

I nodded and Marik just stared at the bed with an intense gaze. Kaz then turned on his heel and left.

Once we were alone, a rather uncomfortable silence settled in the room, and I found myself actually feeling nervous now, not knowing what to say to Marik now that he was awake.

Had I got so used to the idea that he may not wake up that having him awake now was making me nervous?

I wasn't sure, but I wasn't going to let this damnable silence continue any longer.

"Why did you say you loved me?" The thought had been bothering me ever since Marik said it. He shouldn't be saying that, especially since the last time we saw each other he ran out in a fit of rage because I was looking at his journal. There was no way he could have a change of heart that quickly unless…

"I h…heard you talking to me." Marik looked up, violet eyes pale but alive. "I heard everything y…you, Mariku and R…Ryou said to me over the course of however l…long I was here. A week was it? Anyways, I h…heard everything you said. It was kind of fuzzy but I l…listened. And I heard M…Mariku the clearest, and the things he told me l…let me know that you were sincere in w…what you said."

That definitely shocked me. I hadn't really expected anything I had said to Marik while he was in a coma to register, so it was a nice surprise to know that it actually got through.

"You heard everything?"

Marik nodded and smiled softly, squeezing my hand, "I didn't get a whole l…lot, but I do remember that…I…I felt like I was in some s…sort of l…limbo, everything was f…foggy and there was n…no sense of t…time."

Sounded a lot like the shadow realm to me, but I wasn't going to mention that to Marik.

"Well, you're okay now, nothing more to worry about. I'm here and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon."

Marik gave a small smile and held my hand tighter, "I just w…wish that we would have r…realized all of this sooner…" He sighed and I shook my head squeezing his hand and giving him a reassuring gaze.

"Don't worry about it Marik, what's done is done and now all we can do is look to the future." I was just happy to have him awake again and in my arms.

Did things really happen for a reason?

If so then fate had an awful cruel way of bringing two people together.

We were content to just enjoy the appreciative silence between us, but of course silence wasn't something you got when dealing with Mariku.

It was just then when said yami came racing into the room with an excited look on his face and literally leapt up and on to Marik's bed, giving an excited squeal of "OMOTE!"

Marik himself gave a surprised yelp but gently wrapped his arms around Mariku when the tan blur latched onto him.

"Hey M…Mariku."

I was surprised to see that Marik didn't bother to push him off either, and my expression was reflected on Ryou's face as he stood in the door.

"I swear, he ran here so fast I would have swore something was wrong." The pale teen shook his head and chuckled, "Guess I was wrong about that."

Mariku gave a contented mewl, sounding much like a cat, he then pulled back and looked into Marik's eyes, his own violet orbs wide with disbelief.

"Omote, you're okay…"

Marik nodded and ruffled Mariku's hair, "Thanks to you g…giving me e…energy through the b… it w…weren't for th…that I would probably h…have died."

I blinked in shock, not thinking that Mariku's energy transfer would really do that much good.

Apparently it had.

"I knew it would Omote! I just knew it would."

Marik chuckled and gave Mariku an approving pat on the back, "Yeah, you d…did good yami."

Mariku seemed absolutely thrilled at being praised and he gave Marik another gentle hug before climbing off the bed.

"Good to see it won't be a fight to get everyone back on good terms." Ryou chuckled and walked into the room and he and Marik hugged, "Good to see you awake again."

Marik nodded and let go of Ryou, leaning back into the pillows, "So…what's the d…damage Ryou."

Ryou smiled softly and sat down by Marik's bed, "Well, according to Kaz, you have some minor brain damage, along with a broken hip and ribs on your left side. You also had internal bleeding, but everything has been fixed up by now. All you need to do is rest and heal."

Marik frowned slightly but nodded regardless, looking around the room at all three of us, "I'm sorry."

I stepped up and stopped him before he could say anything further, kissing my lover full on the lips. I heard Mariku give a delighted squeal in the background and Ryou gave a light chuckle.

"Can't you two keep it to yourself? I know you are very happy to be together again, but you can at least wait until you are alone."

Marik laughed quietly against my lips and gently pushed me off, "Sorry Ryou."

I gave my hikari a dirty look and he crossed his arms and smirked in return.

"Well Ryou, we have a room here, just so happens that we have two intruders."

The white haired Brit groaned and rolled his eyes, "Bakura! He just woke up from a coma! He's hurt, you guys can't possibly…"

Ryou trailed off when he noticed everyone in the room staring at him, including Mariku."We could have a four way", Mariku suggested with a sly grin.

"Mariku! Not helping!"

Marik's laughing brought us all out of our stupor and I turned to look at him, "I'm okay, really."

Ryou gave him a shocked look before looking to the others in the room and realizing he was outnumbered, "Fine, I am taking Mariku and going. Whatever goes on in here, just, keep it to yourselves, lock the door and for the love of God make sure you fix the heart monitor so it doesn't go off."

I stared at Ryou with a look of shock and he gave a small shrug in return, "What, I have learned quite a few things from my studies."

The white haired teen then moved over to the machine that read Marik's vitals and pushed a few buttons, "Okay, when you two are…done…just push this button here and then everything should go back on track."

I looked to see which button he had pointed to, then nodded, "Thank you Landlord, that will be all."

Ryou gave me a dirty look and I gave a smirk in return. The young Britt then threw his hands in the air and groaned, "Okay, whatever, come on Mariku."

"Can we have sex too Fluffy?"

I burst out laughing as Ryou blushed and pulled Mariku out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

Once they were gone, I got up out of my chair, grabbing it and twisting it around so the small chair now acted as an impromptu door jam.

Once I was satisfied that no nurse or doctor was going to come through the door, I turned and fixed Marik with a hungry grin.

The Egyptian teen was sitting up, a patient look in his eyes. It was still so odd to see him without all his usual gold adornments and mass of hair, though this new plain look was rather sexy.

"We're not doing anything too crazy understand? And by too crazy I mean…" Trailing off, I pushed the button that Ryou had gestured to earlier, "Nothing that makes your heart rate go up."

Marik growled lightly, "Bakura I'm n…not made of f…fucking g…glass." He then huffed, obviously frustrated by his stuttering and I felt a stab of guilt jolt through me.

"No, but you have several broken bones and a head wound. Oh and did I mention that you just woke up from a coma like, an hour ago? Really Marik, I just want us to have alone time."

Marik sighed heavily, but I could tell my the look in his eyes that he agreed with me.

I closed the distance between us then, climbing up into the hospital bed so I could lay beside him, careful not to dislodge any IV lines or wires.

Marik moved to the side to accommodate me and he gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"So you heard everything huh?" I asked softly.

Marik nodded and let his fingers entangle in my hair, "And I believe you, obviously. We had something special Kura….its not something either of us would just throw away."

I allowed myself a smile at that and pulled him even closer to me, "You're right…You mean more to me than anything Marik…anything." Including millennium items, including controlling the world.

Right now, in this moment, I had everything I would ever need.

And by the way that Marik cuddled further into my embrace, I could tell he agreed.


	33. Bonding

A/N: So, so sorry for all the delaying! This chapter was so hard to do, as I am inexperienced with smut and am afraid to screw it up XD. Though this marks one of the final chapters of UT, so we are in the home stretch. I hope the lemony goodness makes up for the long wait.

**Chapter 33**

**Unreal Truths: Bonding**

**Bakura's POV**

I know it probably wasn't one of my best ideas, especially since Marik was still healing and we could fuck up so much shit and get in a lot of trouble, but neither of us really cared at this point.

Marik and I were both just so happy to be in one another's arms again that we disregarded any possible dangers or consequences just so that we could get closer.

It was with this in mind that we both decided that Marik's hospital bed was the perfect place for some amazing reunion sex.

I could feel Marik's eyes on my back as I jammed the door with the chair once again, figuring that we might actually need it this time.

Turning back around, I caught Marik's gaze and the other smirked in response, nodding to the heart rate monitor.

Right….how did Ryou turn that off again?

"…D…Don't tell me you forgot how to t…turn it off?" Marik's voice sounded irritated and I gave him a frustrated look in response.

"Well it wasn't like I was exactly taking lessons you know." I sighed and turned back to the machine, quickly sending Ryou a text message and asking him what to do.

I guess we were lucky that Ryou did teach me how to use a cell phone.

A few minutes later and I was skillfully pressing the buttons that Ryou had instructed me to push, giving a grin of prideful delight as the machine beeped twice and powered down.

I turned to Marik and he was grinning back at me with a pride filled look, obviously very happy that I had been able to quiet the annoying machine.

Damn thing was always beeping and was the most efficient cock blocker I had ever found.

"Well, what are you standing around waiting for?" Marik grinned, obviously feeling accomplished that he didn't stutter at all that time.

I gave an exasperated sigh and climbed into the bed, kissing Marik briefly and rolled my eyes, "Oh enough out of you, I will fuck you whenever I damn well please."

Marik laughed lightly and I grinned, pulling my shirt off over my head and tossing to the other chair in the room, figuring if I piled all my clothes in one spot, I would be able to find them all again with ease when we were through, which would make a quick getaway easy if it became necessary.

Marik was already untangling himself from the white and blue hospital gown, the job a lot harder in reality than in theory, the IV lines and heart monitor wires getting in the way at every turn. Finally, Marik gave up and he pulled the pads off and tugged the IV out.

"You are going to get into trouble for that." I scolded lightly and Marik groaned, giving me a look that clearly showed there were no fucks to be given.

"Bakura…honestly? You of all people should really know I don't care. B…besides, I will just tell them that I had a nightmare and must have torn them out in my sleep."

Sighing heavily, I put my hands on my now naked hips, "And all that will accomplish is you getting restrained."

Marik gave a frustrated cry and threw his arms in the air, "Bakura! Really! Are we going to sit here and bicker back and f…forth like an old couple, or are we going to fuck?"

Good point.

Chuckling, I removed what remained of my clothing and tossed it to the chair, a prideful look in my eyes as I realized that Marik hadn't stuttered much at all. It must have been his excitement over being able to finally get in my pants.

Marik shifted in the bed, pulling the covers aside and giving me a fantastic view of his naked body.

There were several new bruises and deep cuts that would later become scars to add to his collection.

If nothing else, I saw Marik's wonderful markings as a playground for my tongue during foreplay, and I had every intention of memorizing every single one.

At the tanned teen's impatient look, I crawled over the edge of the hospital bed and settled myself across Marik's hips, being very careful so I didn't brush a wrong spot and cause him pain.

Marik gave a small whine of impatience and I couldn't help but laugh, "Easy boy, I have to figure out how best to do this."

There was going to be strategy and planning accompanying this sexual adventure, since the environment was public and risky, not to mention that the boy beneath me was still recovering from a severe accident and coma.

This was going to be tricky.

Giving a slight sigh of defeat, I realized that I should probably pull my 'topping from the bottom' strategy, since I didn't think Marik was in any sort of shape to be experiencing his true first time in this pathetic hospital bed.

No, I was going to make that experience as pleasant as possible.

Plus, since we had no lube, the pain would probably be too much for Marik, and I had had my share of no lube, rough sex with Mariku.

Believe me when I say I was well prepared for this very occasion.

Wasting no time, I slid one hand down and began to tickle and tease my way up Marik's thigh, thoroughly enjoying his small mewls of pleasure along with the occasional twitch of his body underneath my own.

Normally, I would have spent much more time on foreplay with Marik, dragging it out so immensely that he would have been begging for me to fuck him.

But now was not the time for that.

At the moment, I felt like speed was key, as at any time the nurse could come to check in on Marik and find his door jammed. Then we would find ourselves in a world of hurt.

We had observed the nurses routine for a week now, and I was pretty confident that we would have just enough time, but that meant I had to be very strict and pay attention to the clock.

Therefore, wasting time on prep was not an option, especially since we would most likely lose all sense of time once things got heated.

So it was with immense displeasure that I decided to move things along, grabbing Marik's member firmly in my hand and beginning to stroke skillfully, using every bit of my hand to massage and pump, grinning triumphantly when Marik let out a rather loud squeal of surprise and delight.

I just loved a virgin.

Smirking in delight, I leaned my head down and licked sensually along Marik's stomach, careful not to jostle or rub up against any of his fresh wounds.

Marik squirmed beneath me, reaching his hands up and tangling them in my hair as I made my way downward, licking and sucking each grove and curve in on his wonderful body.

The Egyptian teen gazed at me lustfully, arching his back under my touch and groaned, urging me on with fevered hand movements.

Not one to deny myself pleasure, I gave a grin, continuing to pump Marik's hardening member.

Thinking about how exactly to do this, I observed that bed and decided upon shifting Marik upwards, holding his hips gently in my hands as I positioned him at my entrance.

Prep work was for virgins and pussy's.

Marik shuddered, looking at me with a slightly unsure gaze and I smile reassuringly, "Are you sure you want to do this."

Marik groaned in exasperation and I laughed, relaxing before thrusting downwards, allowing Marik's length to press deeply inside me.

I couldn't suppress my moan of pleasure and it mingled in the air along with Marik's, our two voices twining together and echoing throughout the room.

Sighing in contentment, I just took a moment to just soak in the feeling, memorizing the feeling and just relishing in it. I thought I would never get the chance to do this ever again, and now that I had another chance, I wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Once I was certain that we were both ready to continue, I adjusted my grip and began to thrust up and down on Marik's length as best I could without jostling him painfully.

The teen groaned, but not from pain and it satisfied me enough to increase my pace some more.

Marik reached his hands up, entangling them in my hair as his lust filled gaze met my own and I felt myself come that much closer to peak.

Really? That much with just one glance? This kid was going to be the end of me.

Leaning down while still maintaining my pace, I managed to lock lips with Marik and he instantly opened his mouth to accommodate me. Our tongues clashed together, and Marik immediately surrendered dominance to me. I figured he was making up for the fact that I was technically bottoming.

Marik whined in pleasure, his tongue humming against mine as I shifted to get a better angle, pulling back briefly for air.

It was just then that I got Marik to hit my sweet spot, and I kissed the teen's mouth intensely to hide my cry of pleasure.

That could have ended badly.

Pulling back slightly, I looked down to see Marik's sheepish grin, and he would have apologized I was sure if he had control of his vocal chords at that point.

I just shook my head and smirked, continuing to thrust against that sweet spot, kissing Marik's mouth to muffle out any more screams that may escape.

The Egyptian teen squirmed beneath me, his face flushed as I continued my movements. I could tell he was beginning to get close already, having little experience in such a long time.

Assuming he hadn't had sex since I left.

I forced myself to bite back unnecessary jealousy, convincing myself that now wasn't the time.

Giving a light gasp of surprise, I felt a hand wrap around my own length, and I gaze down as Marik smirked, beginning to pumped his hand with a surprisingly skillful touch.

My, my, someone had been practicing while I was gone.

Marik's frantic pumping matched our pace well, and we both found ourselves holding back our screams of pleasure.

If we could just make it through climax then we would be golden.

Unfortunately, not even I am that good.

Marik and I hit our high at the same time, both crying out as immense waves of pleasure threatened to over run us both.

Panting heavily, I rolled off Marik and flopped on the space beside him on the bed, though there really wasn't that much room to begin with, so we ended up just sort of laying haphazardly across one another.

Not that we could think properly enough to care in the moment.

Marik mumbled softly, turning to snuggle into my chest and I wrapped my arms around him in response.

It was then, in that moment, that I realized everything would be okay again and that maybe third chances were possible.

If they were, I certainly had gotten mine.


	34. Healing

A/N: DEEPEST apologies for my lack of updates. It really has been a rough, rough month and I am so sorry for making you all wait, as if anyone still waits for updates from this fic. I started college and work and between the two of them I just couldn't handle writing, that and I found yet another fandom to love so it has gotten difficult to write, but as I promised I am going to work my hardest on my two fics and get them done.^^; Anyways, second to last chapter so we are in the home stretch. I want to thank you all for sticking by me and I hope to get out the last chapter and epilogue faster than these last updates.

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 34: Healing**

**Marik's POV**

It had been another four days since I awoke and another two after Bakura and I's night of excitement before the doctors finally allowed me to go home. It didn't particularly bother me, since it allowed Ishizu and Odion to adjust to Bakura and Mariku being around more.

I think my siblings are beginning to realize that the two yami's aren't going anywhere any time soon.

It had taken some time, but I finally got my sister to quit clinging to me so Bakura and I could have more alone time together. I loved my sister and all, but sometimes her worrying and such got to be a little much.

Giving a groan of pain, I eased down into the wheelchair by my bed with Mariku on one side and Bakura on the other.

Mariku snickered in my ear an odd dark blue bandana wrapped firmly around his head and holding the insane mass of hair back into something more normal looking.

He was finally learning to look acceptable in society.

I heaved a long sigh, shifting a bit to get comfortable and looked up to the two yamis at my side. If you would have told me I would be in this situation willingly a few weeks back, I would have called you insane.

Once I was settled, Ryou grabbed a pillow off the bed and slid it behind my back to help provide some comfort. It was a very thoughtful gesture and I thanked him softly.

My stuttering still wasn't getting any better, though the doctor said it would in time and that I just needed to give my brain some time to heal.

Until then, I vowed to talk as little as possible.

Ryou began to push me out of the room and down the hall to the exit doors. We both knew better than allow Mariku or Bakura to do so and I had to smirk lightly at the visual images that came to mind.

The whole day seemed to go by in a bit of a dazed blur, from me waking up all the way to the ride home. I contributed that to the mass amount of drugs in my system, hoping it was that rather than brain damage.

I already had enough trouble concentrating before the accident.

Finally Ryou pulled into the driveway and I leaned over, fumbling with the seat belt and trying to get it unhooked before Bakura came to help.

I wanted to show that I could still manage simple tasks and that I wasn't completely helpless.

Unfortunately, by the time Bakura came around to open to the door for me I was still struggling with the buckle.

Surprisingly he didn't reach in to help me, but rather stood still, waiting patiently until I finally managed to get the belt unhooked.

Smiling in triumph, I looked up at Bakura and he gave me a warm and reassuring grin.

"Good job kiddo, now let's get you inside."

He held out his hand and I took it firmly, letting Bakura pull me up and into his arms.

Ryou walked around the car, pulling out a wheelchair that had been folded in the trunk.

I gave it one glance before scoffing and leaning further onto Bakura, "I'm not riding in that thing Ryou."

Ryou gave an exasperated sigh and fixed me with a stern look, "Marik…you're going to hurt yourself if you insist on trying to do things on your own while you are injured.

I shook my head, turning away from the offending chair, "N…no thanks Ryou, I can m…manage without."

Before any more could be said, I was suddenly scooped up into the air by Bakura and he held me against his chest bridal style.

"Don't worry Landlord, I got this."

I could hear Ryou give an amused sigh as Bakura kissed my head gently, carrying me off with ease up the front steps and into our rental home.

There seemed to be something different in the atmosphere now. The whole place seemed almost lighter somehow, as if a huge fog had been lifted.

Behind me, I heard heavy footfalls as Mariku came charging in and dive bombed on the couch.

Bakura growled, glaring at my yami intensely, "Move it asshole, Marik is getting the couch."

Mariku gave a low whine of displeasure and huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Mariku." Bakura's voice was low and dangerous and it sent shudders down my spine for various reasons.

Mariku merely grinned back, obviously not intimidated by Bakura in the slightest, "There are plenty of other seats."

"Quit being a fucking dick and move your ass before I move it for you!" Bakura hissed dangerously and I clutched his shirt tightly, amusement showing clearly in my gaze.

Mariku was just getting his jollies off from making Bakura mad.

Finally, my yami's eyes met my own and his gaze softened, "Omote."

I gave him a warm smile as he slid off the couch, gently touching my head as he stood and moved away.

He really had changed for the better.

Looks like Ryou had been right after all.

Bakura rolled his eyes and kicked his leg out at Mariku playfully and my yami cackled in delight, rushing over to Ryou and wrapping his arms around the pale Brit.

I let out a small laugh as Bakura set me down on the couch, touching his cheek gently and smiling at him, "Thank you Bakura."

The former spirit let out a low huff, mumbling softly under his breath.

Ryou walked over then, holding a mass of blankets and pillows, cocking his hips to the side as he fixed Bakura with a look, "Here, make yourself useful and help Marik get comfortable while I fix his room up for him would you."

With that, Ryou shoved his burden into Bakura's arms and grinned, watching as the thief stumbled a bit, letting out an annoyed growl.

"What do I look like here, a fucking nurse?"

I looked to Mariku and we both snickered, "Well B…Bakura, I wouldn't object if you wanted to w…wear a sexy little outfit."

Bakura gave me a dangerous glare as he set the blankets down, plucking a pillow from the top and fluffing it with obvious annoyance, "Watch it you, just because you are sick doesn't mean you get off the hook that easily."

I just rolled my eyes and sat up, allowing for Bakura to place the pillow behind my back. I wasn't the least bit threatened by him, and I knew he knew that as well.

Ryou then came out, a devious smile on his face as he exchanged a look with my yami. He then turned to me and gave a warm smile, "Mariku and I have a few things to go take care of, think you two can behave yourselves while we are gone?"

I rolled my eyes as Bakura climbed on to the couch to join me, straddling my hips and glaring over his shoulder at the other two, "Just get the hell out of here would you?"

Ryou laughed and grabbed his keys off the table, practically sprinting out the door, my yami in tow.

Once they were out the door, Bakura made a satisfied noise and leaned down, kissing me gently on the lips, "Now that we're alone…I can finally talk to you."

I gave Bakura a confused look as he slowly slid off the couch, kneeling down on the floor beside me and taking my hands into his, kissing the fingers lightly.

"You know how much I care about you Marik, and how much I regret that any of this had to happen. If I could relive it all, I would do so much differently…so much, starting with how I treated you."

Opening my mouth slightly, I watched as Bakura gave me an odd look, something deep settling in his eyes that I had never seen before. I shut my mouth then, deciding to just let him have his say.

Bakura saw this and nodded in appreciation, eyes falling back to my hand in his, "You are something completely different, something I never had in my life before…Everything was all screwed up Marik, I never got the chance to even feel anything like love, it was all hate and revenge."

He shifted his position slightly, laying his cheek against my hand, "And just when everything began to go to plan, you had to come in and screw it up." Bakura chuckled, a mixture of bitterness and sorrow, "That fucking demon ruined everything from the beginning…No wonder I am such a mess."

I gave a small frown, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes as I spread my fingers out and caressed Bakura's cheek, "Kura…"

He smiled weakly, but still didn't look up at me, his mind caught in the past.

"I finally got a chance at happiness, a second chance with you, and what did I do? Fuck it up. Hell even your stupid yami got happiness before me. How does that happen? He was a crazy ass fuck, a being of nothing but hate and anger and he _still_ got his happiness before I got mine. That shows you how messed up I am hm?"

"Bakura…" I was really confused as to where this was all going, and Bakura seemed to pick that up from the tone of my voice.

"Marik…I just…I need to tell you how much you mean to me, but I am just having a lot of trouble doing it okay? I never told anyone I loved them before and its just…not easy…especially since you have every right to reject me. I won't be mad if you do…just terribly depressed…might go kill myself…no pressure though." Bakura chuckled and looked up at me and I rolled my eyes.

Before I could say any more however, Bakura held up his hand for silence, biting his lip as he dug into his jacket pocket, "Hold on, I am not finished yet, and if you don't let me finish then I am going to chicken out and this is never going to work."

"Alright Bakura, I am listening." I shifted my position so I could better see him, and Bakura looked up with me, a surprising look of insecurity in his pretty violet eyes.

"Okay Marik I…I know you don't approve of me stealing but…I had to in this instance, just hear me out…"

Bakura shifted and showed me what he was holding in his hand.

I gasped in surprised as I saw a rather ornate ring. It had a golden band and a large blue diamond in the middle.

"This…" Bakura continued talking, though his voice had taken on a sad and reminiscent tone, "This was my father's family ring, passed down from generation to generation to each head of the Tozokuo clan…I thought he had been wearing it when he died but…" Tears formed in his eyes and I wanted nothing more than to kill every one of those guards along with anyone who had a part in destroying my lover's life.

"He must have been planning on giving it to me…I just never knew…but the other day I saw it in the museum and I knew it was his…it even has the insignia….see?" Bakura turned the ring over and I could see the Tozokuo family seal on the underside of the band.

"I had to get it, not only because it is rightfully mine but…but because I knew it would fit perfectly on your finger."

I let out a small gasp as Bakura took my hand, spreading the fingers gently and sliding the ring onto my ring finger, giving a satisfied smile as it fit perfectly, "Oh good, I was hoping I wouldn't have to have it fitted. What a pain."

No words came to me as I stared down at the ring with a dumbstruck look on my face, "B…Bakura really, this is too much, I mean-"

"Don't you like it?" Bakura looked up at me with an unsure gaze and almost pained look on his face.

"N…n…no, no! I love it! It's perfect! I couldn't imagine anything better! I j…j…just…" Giving a frustrated sigh I shook my head, regretting it instantly as a headache began to throb.

"I d…don't deserve it…" I felt my cheeks heat up as Bakura stared up at me, a slow smile crawling onto his face, "Nonsense Marik, if anyone deserves this it's you." He chuckled gently and kissed me on the lips, wrapping his arms around me with care, "I love you, so please accept this token of my affection…"

I was torn between laughing at Bakura's cute attempts at being romantic and crying from how sweet it all was. I settled for crying as the tears I had been trying to hold back this entire time began to fall down my cheeks, "Oh Bakura…thank you so much!" I hugged him back, smiling so hard I thought my face might break in two.

"It's the best gift a…anyone has ever given me." Another kiss and I rested my head against Bakura', just feeling the joy course through me and my heart warmed.

It was the first time I had ever felt this truly happy.

Ever.

Just then I heard the front door open and Bakura let out a small huff, "Hmph, they told me they would be gone longer than that."

"Huh? Bakura what are you…" I trailed off when I saw Mariku and Ryou walk in, both with big grins on their faces.

Suddenly I was feeling very suspicious.

"Well that didn't take you two very long." Bakura cocked an eyebrow and got up, sitting down on the couch beside me as Ryou shut the door.

The pale haired teen rolled his eyes as he locked the door, turning around so he could lean against it, watching Bakura and I, "Well sorry, but I figured you had enough time."

Bakura growled low and muttered, "Yeah whatever, just go on and steal my thunder…"

"Would someone _please_ tell me what is going on?"

"Omote…"

I looked up as Mariku came closer, a look of pure bliss on his face and a rather large box in his hands.

Now I was _really_ suspicious.

"…Yes Mariku?"

"I got you something…I hope it makes you feel better…" Mariku then held out the box to me, biting his lip shyly.

"And believe it or not it was entirely his idea." Ryou chuckled softly, motioning for me to go on.

I gave him a brief look before turning back to the box in Mariku's hand, taking it carefully.

"What is this Mariku?"

"I know you are very sad about your hair Omote so…I wanted to do something to make you feel better…"

He then pulled the bandana off his head, giving me a small smile as it fell to the floor.

I suddenly found myself crying again as I saw what the bandana had been hiding.

Mariku's once long and wild hair was now cut immensely short, raising only about two inches off his head.

He had cut it all off.

"M…Mariku your hair."

"The present Omote, open my present!" Mariku grinned eagerly pointing to the box in excitement.

"O…okay…" With trembling fingers I undid the bow on top and gently set it aside before gripping the box lid.

Nothing I could have done then would have prepared me for what I was about to see.

As I opened the box, the tears increased tenfold when I saw what was inside.

A beautiful wig sat innocently inside, matching my old hairstyle perfectly.

It was then I knew.

Mariku had cut his own hair so I could have mine back.

"M…Mariku…"

How? How could this be the same yami from years ago.

It was impossible.

I began crying even harder, and Mariku gave a small distressed sound, "D…did I do something wrong Omote?"

I looked up at him, tears relentlessly streaming down my face, "No…it's…it's perfect…you're all…you are all so perfect."

Mariku smiled wide and I opened my arms so he could rush into my embrace.

Bakura chuckled softly, Ryou's own laughter chiming in.

It was then that I knew this would work. We _could_ all live together and be a happy family.

Giving Mariku a kiss on the cheek, I ruffled his now short hair and looked to Ryou, "A little help?"

The pale teen nodded, smiling softly as he walked over, gently lifting the wig out of the box, "Okay here…"

He fixed the wig perfectly atop my bandages, giving an approving nod, "Looks good to me!" Bakura leaned around the couch, opening the drawer and pulling out a handheld mirror, holding it so I could see.

It was as if I never had the accident, as if my hair never had been shaved off. Everything looked perfectly fine and normal.

Mariku gave a squeal of delight and hugged me again, "You look perfect Omote, just like before."

More tears, it was like I couldn't stop myself.

Finally, after all these years, I had it all.

And I wasn't going to let it go for anything.

I gave the other three a hug, tugging them all onto the couch and laughed genuinely for the first time in years.

So this was happiness?

It was nice.

It was fulfilling.

It was perfect.


	35. Happiness

A/N: Ah time for the final chapter in the Unreal Truth's saga, but it certainly won't be the last we see of this verse', so long as my muse keeps up with me that is. I apologize so much for the lateness but I had a lot of trouble getting the inspiration to finish this chapter and I wanted you guys to have the best ^^; I am sure you all hate me by now, but please enjoy the extra-long chapter as an apology! Anyways, It's been a great ride and I appreciate every one of my readers and reviewers and I want to squish you all with love! Now, on to the final chapter! There may be several epilogue chapters and spin offs as inspiration hits me so I hope you all stick by me as I continue to write! Cheers, CQ!

**Unreal Truths**

**Chapter 35: Happiness**

**Ryou's POV**

Ah, what an excellent morning to just sit down and enjoy myself. It had been nearly a year since the whole debacle with Bakura and Mariku, and now we were all living relatively peacefully together.

Albeit a little cramped.

It was nice though, being able to have a functional relationship with three others that you never could imagine having several years ago. I was happy to be with these people who obviously cared about me and each other.

I was jerked suddenly out of my internal thoughts by the sound of a loud crash and my smoke detector in the kitchen going off.

Though to be honest, living with the two formerly inhuman yamis was starting to be just about more than I could handle.

"Bakura!"

"It wasn't me! Blame your boyfriend!"

"Mariku!"

A different voice answered this time, sounding guilty and apologetic, "I followed the instructions!"

Bakura's voice barked back, "Good lord Mariku, 30 SECONDS! Do you even know how long that is?"

Life certainly wasn't boring anymore, that was for sure.

Sighing softly, I grabbed my paper and walked into the kitchen, using it to fan away the smoke, "Well…there goes the microwave…"

"I am so sorry Fluffy! I didn't mean to do it!" Mariku looked panicked, his hair a bit riled, as it was only a few inches longer than when he had nearly cut it all off, and it gave him an adorable and youthful look.

"Well Bakura should be watching you."

"Excuse me landlord, but since when am I the babysitter?" Bakura cocked an eyebrow, looking over his own paper from where he sat at the kitchen table, feet propped up and chair reclined.

"That's right; you are both too irresponsible to be left alone. My bad." I smacked both yamis over the head with my paper before going to clean up Mariku's mess.

I then heard a bit of shuffling behind me and I put on a smile to greet Marik as he slowly made his way into the kitchen.

Mariku gave a gleeful sound of joy, waving to Marik and grinning like a loon, "Omote! I tried to make breakfast for you and Ryou but Bakura ruined it!"

"Shut up you asshole! You ruined it all on your own!" Bakura grumbled as he got out of his seat, walking over to Marik and wrapping his arms gently around his recovering boyfriend, "How are you feeling this morning?"

Marik smiled and pressed his head into the crook of Bakura's neck, his wig fitted securely on his head, "I'm doing good, just tired is all."

Bakura nodded and helped Marik over to the kitchen table and I poured us all a small glass of orange juice, "So guys, I think we need to have a talk about some things."

"I said I was sorry!" Mariku squeaked as he returned to his seat and Marik chuckled lightly as he remained in Bakura's lap.

I gave an exasperated sigh as I sat down and shook my head, "No it's nothing you did, it's just something I have been thinking about ever since we really started to get friendly with one another."

"Oh God he wants us to have a foursome. I knew it would happen eventually!"

I groaned and shot Bakura a dark look, "No! That's not it at all!"

"I think it would be fun!" Mariku matched my dark look with a shit eating grin and I returned it with a bird flipping finger.

"No, I don't want a foursome! Now let's try to be serious here for a moment okay?"

Bakura snickered but said nothing more and Mariku obediently leaned back in his chair, trying to mimic Bakura's earlier pose.

I took in a long breath and let it out, sipping from my glass of orange juice before continuing on, "I think this place is getting a bit too cramped for all of us. Granted we bunk together with our respective boyfriends…" I gave Mariku a small smile and saw Bakura do the same to Marik and nip at the other's ear, much to the Egyptian teen's chagrin. "I think it would be best if we went house hunting. I am sure Bakura can procure us some funds…" I trailed off and gave my yami an expectant look and he returned my gaze with a self-satisfied grin.

"Are you asking me to steal Ryou?"

"I am not asking you anything, I am just assuming that if you wanted a nice place for Marik to live, you would help us come up with the extra money that we need. Granted Marik and I have been saving for a bigger place for some time now, I just don't think we are anywhere near being able to afford a house, so I thought maybe you could…help?" I groaned as Bakura feigned ignorance and I found myself having to restrain from punching him.

"I don't care how you do it Bakura, just please get us some money for a house? And for the love of God do not get caught!"

Bakura laughed and kissed Marik's cheek, being more affectionate than I had ever seen him before this morning, "All you had to do was ask Landlord. Of course I want the best for myself and Marik, and well if we have to put up with you two as well then I guess that won't be so bad."

I shook my head, though I couldn't hide the growing smile on my face, "Thank you Bakura. I thought that today we could all go out and do some house hunting, maybe even find something we like. I have never done this kind of thing before, but it shouldn't be too hard I hope…"

The only thing I was concerned about was looking suspicious. Four young men in their twenties looking for what would probably be a multi-million dollar house to all share and live together in.

Oh well, as long as Bakura did his job right and didn't get caught then we wouldn't have to worry, and really, the damn thief could probably do this stuff in his sleep.

Actually he probably did, using my body.

Jackass.

Shaking myself from my internal ramblings, I looked back to Bakura and gave him another appreciative nod before turning to Marik, "I wanted to make sure you were well enough to come with us, after all, I think all four of us need to have a say in this purchase since it will most likely be where we all stay for the rest of our lives."

Marik smiled gently and lifted his head slightly so he could better meet my gaze, "Thank you Ryou, I appreciate it." The Egyptian teen still looked awfully pale, but he certainly looked much, much better than he had the night after the surgery.

"I already picked out a few locations for us to go see." I smiled and pulled out a book of homes for sale, certain pages tabbed and some houses on those pages highlighted in yellow.

Bakura took the book and used one hand to open it to the first tab while he held Marik tightly with the other, "Well? See any that you like?"

Marik glanced over each paper and book carefully, violet eyes studying each choice before he separated five of them from the pile, "I think we should go see these first."

I nodded and grabbed the ones Marik chose, standing up and tucking the papers under my arm, "Well, if we are all ready, then let's get going. Today seems to be open house galore and I want to beat the crowds."

Mariku made a delighted sound and hopped up, looking like a kid on Christmas, "This is going to be fun."

Oh yeah, real fun.

"Mariku, don't be touching anything! I mean it! We are just looking okay?"

That was the last thing I needed, Mariku going around and destroying every house we went to.

Mariku gave me a pouty look, but I knew he was just playing. The others didn't give him enough credit. Bakura was actually the bigger trouble maker.

It didn't take long for everyone to get ready, since Bakura was an early riser, as was Mariku and so the two of them were already dressed. It just took a few minutes for Marik to get dressed fully and for me to tame my wild mess of hair before we were set to go.

I drove to the first house, since neither Mariku nor Bakura had licenses or could really be trusted to drive and since Marik wasn't supposed to drive for another few months as his brain injuries healed.

Let's just say the picture gave some very high expectations that the actual house did not live up to.

They had to have used Photoshop, that was the only explanation I had for this run down piece of shit being the same house as in the picture.

"A…are we s…sure this is the r…right place?" Marik's voice put my thoughts into words and I pulled out the paper to double check the address.

"Well….it's the right address…"

"This place is a shit hole."

"…Eloquently put Bakura." I sighed and looked up to the front porch where the real-estate agent was waiting eagerly for us.

"We aren't seriously going to consider this place are we Ryou?" Bakura frowned deeply and Marik leaned against him.

"We m…may as w….well. We drove the whole w…way out here after a…all."

I nodded and turned slightly to face our little group, "Never judge a book by its cover guys. Maybe it isn't so bad on the interior. Maybe it just needs a little love. Let's give it a chance shall we?"

Mariku and Bakura exchanged a look then turned back to me, Bakura's eyes narrowed slightly in disgust, "Alright fine, let's just get this over with."

I gave a light sigh and put on a fake smile before turning back to the realtor and walking up the stairs and praying to God that this all went smoothly.

The man greeted us enthusiastically and lead our small group inside, "Well, here is the main entrance-"

"We can see that." Bakura snorted and walked past the confused-looking agent, going into the kitchen and dragging Marik along with him.

"I'm sorry, do excuse them." I gave a small smile and waved my hand as if this really was nothing out of the ordinary, and really, it wasn't.

"If you don't mind, we can just check out the place on our own and call if we have any questions. That okay?"

The man nodded reluctantly, holding his files close to his chest as if they would protect him from this strange group of young men, "Uh sure, I will just wait right here for you."

I nodded in thanks and walked into the living room, while Bakura and Marik checked out the kitchen. It really wasn't all that bad, though the house definitely could use some tender loving care.

Bakura and Marik soon joined me and we walked together back the hall, inspecting each of the bedrooms, finding them each too small for our liking.

"Well…" I sighed gently and turned to my two companions- Wait…two?

"…Where is Mariku?"

Bakura and Marik each exchanged a look and I felt my heart leap up into my chest.

Shit, I couldn't turn around for two seconds could I?

"FLUFFFYYYY!"

I jumped at the sound of Mariku's yell and I left the others behind to run for the upstairs.

Turns out Mariku had decided to wander up the stairs to look on his own and walked onto a rotten floorboard.

I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of my boyfriend on the floor, his leg stuck through the wooden floor. The Egyptian yami was squirming and struggling to get up, but every time he tried it would fail and Mariku would find himself face planting into the floor.

"Fluffyyy helllpp! Hey it's not funny!"

I really couldn't help it; I laughed.

There was the sound of running and before I knew it Marik and Bakura had joined us, along with the real estate agent.

The young realtor gave a surprised cry and rushed over, immediately beginning to try and get Mariku unstuck, "Oh my I am so sorry sir!"

Mariku freaked out even more, obviously not wanting the man to touch him and I rushed over before the poor realtor got his face clawed off, "It's okay! I will help him!"

The man stepped back and I knelt down, still snickering slightly as I heard Bakura roar with laughter behind me.

Honestly, I don't know how I do it some days.

"Relax Mariku, I will help you out."

Mariku gave a little huff but managed to stay still long enough to let me dislodge his foot.

As my boyfriend stood I turned to my other two roommates and the realtor, "Well…I think that gives us our answer."

"Gentlemen I am so, so sorry! Is there any way that I can make it up to you?" The agent looked panicked, probably afraid that we were going to sue him.

"Don't worry about it." I help up my hands in reassurance as a flush red Mariku walked back over to join Marik and Bakura, "We are just going to keep looking. Thank you."

The man looked dejected as we left the house, and I couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for him. I would hate to have his job.

"That w…went…well." Marik gave a halfhearted smile as he climbed in the back seat, Bakura joining him as Mariku and I got in the front.

"I know…I am sorry guys, that could have gone so much better." I sighed softly and started the car, setting the GPS for the next house.

The car ride was surprisingly quiet, though I think it was because Mariku was still recovering from his bought of humiliation and Bakura was too busy necking Marik in the back seat.

I gave them a dirty look in the rearview mirror but decided not to say anything. I supposed Mariku and myself really weren't all that much better.

The next house was much better than the first and was actually a decent contender. It was closer to the city but still far enough away where we wouldn't be bothered with all the traffic and stuff and it had a lot of land that came with it. Four bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and a large living and dining room; it seemed almost perfect.

Something still wasn't right though.

"Well guys?" I turned and looked behind me to Bakura, the former spirit frowning as he stared at the house intently.

"I don't know landlord…something just doesn't seem right."

"It's not h…home." Marik sighed and shook his head, walking dejectedly back to the car, "We need to keep looking."

Marik was right, and we all knew it. So it was with his decision that we kept looking.

And looking…

And looking…

We searched all the houses on the list yet none of them felt right. By the last house it was just Bakura and I inside, as Mariku refused to go inside anymore 'cannibal houses' and Marik was beginning to get run down from his injuries.

"Bakura…" I sighed as we walked back into the living room, moving over to the recliner to sit down, "I am so sorry…this is turning out to be a horrible idea…"

"Since when were you one to give up so easily Landlord?" Bakura gave me a scrutinizing look before sitting down on the table in front of me, fixing me with an unwavering gaze, "Just because we had a tough day doesn't mean we won't find the perfect place."

I cocked an eyebrow, a slow smirk spreading across my face.

Bakura blinked and gave me a funny look, "What is that crazy grin for?"

"I never thought I would hear a pep talk coming from you Bakura."

"Precisely! It shouldn't be happening! So get your lazy, pathetic ass up out of this chair and get moving. We have some more house hunting to do!"

Bakura was right for once, so I took his advice and stood up, walking with him out to the car, "Hey guys, another dud."

Marik and Mariku exchanged looks, and Marik turned back to me, "I think we should call it quits for today…go home and choose a new selection and start over tomorrow."

Bakura nodded and gave Marik a hug, Mariku crawling so that he was in the front seat.

Once everyone was situated I made the half hour drive home in silence, lost in my own thoughts while Marik and my former yami made out in the backseat.

Going inside, I made a beeline for the kitchen, Marik slowly following behind me as I heard the door shut.

"Would you like some tea Marik?"

"Y…yes, thank you Ryou." The Egyptian teen moved to the kitchen table and sat down, pulling out his laptop and beginning to type rapidly; most likely searching for our next house to visit.

"Marik…I am sorry today didn't go as planned-"

"Ryou…" Marik laughed lightly, looking up from his screen, "There is no need to worry! It's not l…like we were going t…to find the perfect house on the first trip." He gave me a reassuring smile before turning back to his screen, "No worries, we will find that perfect place."

Of course Marik was right, and I started feeling really silly about doubting him.

"Hey Bakura, Mariku, you two want any tea?"

There was nothing but silence to answer me, and I looked to Marik in confusion.

The Egyptian teen met my gaze with a puzzled one of his own, turning towards the living room to see if the two yami's were there and just not paying attention.

There was nothing in the room except the furniture however, and I felt my heart speed up a bit in nervousness.

"Where do you think they are?" Marik stood out of his chair, walking slowly into the living room.

"Knowing them it can't be anything good." I heaved a heavy sigh and followed Marik into the living room, raising an eyebrow in confusion as I saw a piece of scrap paper laying on the ground, seeming very out of place.

"Marik…I think I know where they went." I rolled my eyes and waved the note in my hand, reading the scribbled note upon it.

_Landlord, _

_Mariku and I have gone off to secure some funds for our future residence. I trust you and Marik to continue searching. No budget required._

_ Bakura_

"They are robbing a bank aren't they?"

I crumple up the note and looked at Marik with a serious look on my face, "We don't know anything about this okay? We let them do whatever it is they are doing and just pretend everything is fine and dandy."

Marik and I stared at each other a long few moments before bursting out laughing.

I really couldn't believe this is what my life had become.

What's more is I couldn't believe I was perfectly okay with it.

* * *

3am…That's what time Bakura and Mariku came bursting through the front door like they were being chased.

They probably had been, but I didn't want to know about it.

Marik and I had stayed up the whole night on the couch, watching television and worrying about what kind of trouble those two were getting themselves into.

"About fucking time you morons!" I immediately stood, going over and whacking Mariku across the head, "Ever hear of planning ahead for this kind of shit?"

"Of course, but I had a different plan of action Landlord, one that actually worked out rather well if I do say so myself." Bakura had a cocky smirk on his face as he dropped two large duffle bags by the door.

At my slightly horrified look, Bakura gave out a light huff of annoyance, "Relax Ryou, it's not like the cops are going to come busting down our door. I promise we were discreet."

"That's the problem." I pulled Mariku close to me before shoving him hard into the recliner, "That one there doesn't know the meaning of discreet."

"He actually helped me a great deal."

"Hear that Ryou, I _helped_." Mariku stuck his tongue out at me and I straddled him in the chair, nipping at his tongue.

"Yeah, yeah I heard him."

Marik smiled tiredly from the couch, looking briefly at the duffle bags before glancing up at Bakura, holding his hand out to the tomb robber.

In typical 'wrapped-around-Marik's finger' fashion, the thief moved in, crawling onto the couch and taking Marik's hand gently in his own, "Told you I would take care of us."

"I never doubted you for a second." Marik kissed Bakura's lips gently before pulling him close as they both laid there on the couch, looking ready to fall asleep.

I myself was ready to crash, and one look at Mariku told me he was feeling very much the same.

"Alright, well I guess we can go to bed now that I know you two aren't going to end up in prison." Though I really didn't feel like leaving this chair much at all. Mariku was awfully comfy.

I heard Bakura chuckle and Marik give out a light sigh of relief, "Yes well, I think I am just going to lay here…I am comfortable."

Bakura shifted and pulled Marik closer to his chest, the couch large enough to accommodate the two of them.

Mariku put his own arms around me and I laid my head on his chest, the steady sound of his heartbeat lulling me off to sleep.

Let's just say the next morning proved to me how dumb of an idea sleeping in your boyfriend's lap in a recliner was.

"Fucking hell my back hurts." Bakura groaned as he rolled off the sofa, landing in a crouch on the floor.

"S…sorry Kura, I didn't f…feel like moving." Marik frowned as he sat up, looking like he actually had a good night's rest.

At least someone had.

As for me, my own back felt like it had been contorted into a pretzel, but I wasn't going to complain. It was my own stupid choice, "Alright Mariku get up." I tapped the Egyptian yami's cheeks and grinned as he attempted to swat me away, "Marik found a really good potential looking home while you guys were out committing questionable acts and I am rather excited to check it out.

Marik nodded and got up, "Yes, I think it will be a good place to start our second days s…search."

I got up as well, dragging Mariku back to the bedroom so I can shower and get a quick change of clothes before heading out.

"Alright let's get moving then." Bakura grabbed the keys off the table and tossed them to me as Marik pulled out his phone to enter in the address on the GPS.

Once again the search was on.

The place Marik had picked out was far enough away from the city without being out in the country, though it was still close enough that if we wanted to run to the store it wouldn't take more than twenty minutes. The entire house was white, two levels with a large front porch that wrapped the whole way around.

Marik let out a soft gasp and walked forward, holding Bakura's hand tightly as he did, "Guys look…it's perfect!"

Bakura smiled warmly and kissed the top of Marik's head, walking with him to the front door, myself and Mariku following close behind.

The house was massive, with six bedrooms and an equal number of baths. Hardwood floors continued throughout the entire house and there was a gaming room and mini theater. There was a pool and hot tub in the back yard, along with a four car garage with a mini apartment above it for guests or renters. It was about a forty minute drive from the city and was surrounding by forty acres of woods.

It was the dream house we had been looking for all this time.

Turns out the home was just newly built, and the realtor took great joy in showing us around, probably already counting on the commission he would get. Maybe we shouldn't have let our excitement show so easily.

Oh well.

I was more preoccupied with keeping Mariku out of trouble.

The second we walked into the kitchen, Mariku raced inside, looking around with wide eyes.

"Fluffy look! They left perfectly good food laying out!" The Egyptian yami gave an excited squeak and rushed to the fruit bowl in the kitchen with plastic fruit inside.

"Mariku no! Stop it, that's-"

_Crunch._

"….fake."

Mariku gagged and threw his fake apple on the floor, giving the little plastic fruit a nasty look, "It's gone bad."

Bakura was snickering from his spot in the doorway, Marik rolling his eyes with a soft smile on his face.

I smacked Mariku lightly across the head, dragging him out of the kitchen and making sure I had a tight hold on him in every room we went into.

After we had gone through the entire house, I excused us briefly from the realtor and called a small group meeting out in the backyard by the hot tub.

"Well guys, what do you think?"

"I like it a lot." Bakura was the first to speak, laying his hand on the hot tub with a hungry look in his eyes, probably thinking of all the sex he could have with Marik in it.

"I agree." Marik smiled as he looked back into the house, a dreamy expression plastered on his face, "It's just…everything we have been looking for all this time…"

"We should get it!" Mariku hopped up on the cover of the hot tub, tilting his head to the side as he looked around, "This place is very nice, besides the crappy food."

Bakura saved me from having to move by reaching his hand up and smacking Mariku's head, nearly causing the yami to go tumbling to the ground.

Marik laughed and moved to the side as Mariku reached out to him to try and catch his balance. Marik's sudden movement caused Mariku to over extend his reach and the next thing I knew, my boyfriend was tumbling over the railing into the swimming pool below.

Thank God it was filled with water.

Bakura erupted into another fit of laughter and I gave a gasp of shock, looking down at the pool as Mariku came to the surface, sputtering about and gasping for air.

Marik began snickering and a slow smile broke its way across my face, leading soon into a fit of laughter

It was in that moment that I knew this was the place. We could all live happily here together with no arguments, no shadow duels and no fighting over millennium items.

We were going to have a normal life if it killed us.

The realtor came out upon hearing the commotion, eyes wide as she saw Mariku climbing out of the pool.

"Oh my is he okay?" She made a move to go help, but Mariku had already made it out and was laying on the pool deck with a silly grin on his face.

Marik, Bakura and I followed the agent down, and I held my hand out to help Mariku stand, brushing his now soaking hair away from his face.

"Oh dear I am so sorry! I will go get you a towel!" The women turned to go but Mariku put up his hand to stop her, "No it's fine…We won't be much longer anyways."

The realtor's face fell, obviously thinking that we no longer wanted the place.

She was definitely surprised when I spoke up…

"We'll take it."

The realtor gave me a shocked look, eyes widening by my statement, "W…what?"

"Did he s…stutter?"

That comment was followed by another splash as Marik sucker punched Bakura in the gut and shoved his boyfriend into the pool.

Bakura gave a low growl as he climbed out of the pool, shaking his hair free of water and walking out towards the car with a laughing Marik in tow.

I smiled and rolled my eyes at my roommate's antics, giving the realty agent a soft smile, "Yes it's perfect. We will definitely be taking it."

The realtor gave a small leap of delight and smiled widely, "Well then! I shall write up the paperwork and we can do some negotia-"

"No negotiations needed." I turned as I saw Bakura returning from the car with a rather large duffle bag, unzipping it to show the contents inside; stacks upon stacks of hundred dollar bills.

"We will pay asking price…in cash."

Marik gasped and gave Bakura a look, to which the thief shrugged, "I had a hunch we would be needing it."

I gave Bakura a look, wondering if he could have been any more obvious. If he got arrested for robbing a bank then I was not going to be the one to bail him out of prison.

Bless the saleswoman for not freaking out and calling the police right then. Instead she smiled sweetly, though it was a bit strained, and nodded, "Well of course then…right."

Bakura gave me a wink and walked off with the woman, forcing the rest of us to fall behind as we signed the papers.

The whole thing didn't take as long as expected, and we were told that we could move in immediately. It was a great feeling, and I stood in silence just to bask in it for a little while.

"You still with us Landlord?"

I smiled and opened my eyes, looking to Bakura and nodding, "Yeah, I am."

Marik walked over and gave me a hug, and I returned the gesture, feeling Mariku move in as well, squirming in delight. Marik had to shoot Bakura a dark look before he approached, obviously put off by the whole concept of hugging, but once he got close enough Mariku caught his wrist and dragged him in.

"You can't escape us now Bakura, you're stuck for life." I grinned and Marik laughed, kissing the tomb robber's cheek as he scowled, marking the picture perfect end to a picture perfect day.


End file.
